A 23 years old flight attendant was found unconscious in an empty bathub on City Garden Grand Hotel at Makati City on January 1, 2021. Christine Dacera, a Philippine Airlines flight attendant was then rushed to a Makati Medical Center by three of her friends and a hotel staff but was later declared dead on arrival.
The hospital later diagnosed the cause of death as ruptured aortic aneurysm.
What is a ruptured aortic aneurysm?
We all know what's the word ruptured means, it is means something had broken, cracked or burst. For aortic aneurysm, check the brief explanation below from mayoclinic.org.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is an enlarged area in the lower part of the major vessel that supplies blood to the body (aorta). The aorta runs from your heart through the center of your chest and abdomen.
The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body, so a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding.
Initial Police Report
Initial report from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) said that Dacera was sexually abused.
Colonel Harold Depositar, the Makati City police chief said that the flight attendant had lacerations and sperm in her genitalia as well as bruises, contusions and scratches on her arms and legs.
"Meron siyang mga pasa, meron siyang mga contusions sa both knees and then meron siyang abrasions… pero isa lang ‘yun na mahaba. Meron definitely sexual contact," - the police chief said during a media interview.
With these initial findings, 11 persons have been charged of provisional charge of rape with homicide. All suspects are the ones whom Dacera celebrated the new year's eve with within the two adjacent hotel rooms in Makati City.
Was Christine Dacera Drugged?
Dacera being drugged is one of the elements of case that is yet to be determined by the police authorities as the toxicology report along with the autopsy findings are awaiting to be finalized by experts.
The suspects were charged with "provisional" rape because the prosecutor office is yet to receive the official autopsy and toxicology report yet. Despite of lack of official medical reports, the Philippine National Police (PNP) had already announced that the case had been marked as "solved" by declaring that the flight attendant was a victim of "rape-slay".
Read below excerpt from the official facebook page of the Philippine National Police entitled "POLICE SOLVE NEW YEAR RAPE-SLAY OF FLIGHT ATTENDANT"
<blockquote>In report to DILG Secretary Eduardo M Año, PNP Chief, Police General Debold M Sinas said the rape-slay of Christine Angelica Dacera is solved with the arrest and indictment of three suspects."</blockquote>
Meanwhile, the victim family's spokesperson, Brick Reyes, told media on a press conference that the Dacera family was convinced that Christine was drugged and sexually abbused.
"Sino ba talaga ang nag-sexually assault kay Christine? Sino ba talaga ang nag-spike ng drinks niya with drugs? Sino ba talaga ang immediate cause ng pagkamatay niya?" - the spokesperson said.
Reyes further said that they do not believe that Christine had died on natural causes, and that the ruptured aortic aneurysm finding by the hospital was not the actual cause of death and that the initial medical report does not reflect the injuries on parts of her body.
"They say she died of natural causes, of ruptured aortic aneurysm, which appears in the certificate of death but which does not include all the injuries she sustained," Reyes said.
Who are the suspects?
The PNP had disclosed the names of the 12 suspects, namely:
The three persons below are already in the custody of the police.
1.) John Pascual Dela Serna III - 27 years old
2.) Rommel Daluro Galido - 29 years old
3.) John Paul Reyes Halili - 25 years old
The nine persons below remain at large.
4) Gregorio Angelo de Guzman
5.) Louie de Lima
6.) Clark Jezreel Rapinan
7.) Rey Englis
8.) Mark Anthony Rosales
9) Jammyr Cunanan
10.) Valentine Rosales
11.) a certain Ed Madrid
12.) a certain Paul
Philippine Airlines Statement
The employer of ill-fated Christine Angelica Dacera, Philippine Airlines (PAL), had called for "truth and justice" regarding to the case of one of their flight attendant.
"Our desire is for the truth to come out in the interest of justice," - the statement of the PAL said, released on Tuesday.
Christine Dacera served as a flight attendant of PAL Express, the Philippine region brand of the airlines.
"PAL Express mourns the tragic death of Cristine Dacera last January 1 during New Year revelry in Makati City," - the statment added.
The airline officials further said that they are "extending full support to the flight attendant's family at this most difficult time".
Christine's Family
The mother of Christine, Sharon Dacera, applead to the Philippine president help to solve the case of her daughter.
"Tatay Digong, tulungan niyo po kami. Ordinaryo lang po akong tao. Ma’am [Davao Mayor] Sara Duterte, nanay ka rin. May anak ka rin na babae. That is why I want to come out in the open because I don’t want somebody to be a victim again by this kind of brutality, barbaric," - the emotional mother told reporters during the press conference held on Tuesday.
"Binaboy niyo ang anak ko. Ayokong may mangyari ulit diyan na isang babae na bababuyin niyo ulit. Kaya lalabanan ko ang laban nitong anak ko," - she added.
Sharon said that her daughter dream to take her whole family around the world, the main reason why she became a flight attendant.
"Simple lang kaming tao eh. Kasiyahan lang po sana ng anak ko, na ang dream niya, 'yung kami na magkakasama na kapatid niya, at saka tatay niya, at saka pamilya niya, makatour around the world. Kaya gusto talaga niya maging flight attendant," - the grieving mother said.
On the press conference, Sharon called to all suspects to surrender before the authorities.
"Gusto ko lang manawagan. Lalo na sa mga taong involved doon sa aksidente na nangyari sa anak ko. Kung inosente kayo, lumabas kayo. Kung gusto niyo patunayan na wala kayong kasalanan, lumabas kayo" - the victim's mom said.
City Garden Grand Hotel on the Hook
With the Dacera case being so well-known, the Department of Tourism (DOT) had issued a show-cause order against the City Grand Hotel located at the corner of Makati and Kalayaan Avenues in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City to explain on why it should not be suspended for the possible violations for accepting guests for leisure purposes amid the pandemic.
The show-cause must be submitted to the tourism regulatory body within three days.
It is a known fact that the Makati City is still under the tight quanranteen regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus, the DOT's show-cause order issuance.
It turned-out that the hotel where Christine Dacera's lifeless body was found is currently used as a quarantine or isolation facility. With this, the DOT had asked the hotel's general manager, Richard Heazon, on why did the establishment continued to accept guests which shouldn't be the case for a declared isolation facility.
Christine Dacera graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines in Davao City.
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