NCRPO to wait for decision of Makati prosecutor on Dacera case
After the police medico legal report ruled out homicide as cause of death of 23-year-old flight attendant , the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Thursday said they will wait for the decision of the Makati City prosecutor.
In an interview with reporters, Major Gen. Vicente Danao Jr said all evidence they needed was properly submitted last January 27.
“The respondents I think, they were given up to February 3 to give their response (by) counter-affidavit and with that maybe we'll just wait for the resolution to be given by the fiscal who is handling the case,” Danao said.
“It will now be up to the fiscal on what will his appreciation on the evidence presented. As I said since day 1 if they cannot see anything from there so what do you expect with the case?” he added.
Based on the medico legal report shared by the camp of the respondents, Lt. Col Joseph Palmero of the Makati police said Christine Dacera’s death was caused by ruptured aortic aneurysm.
“Manner of death as homicide is ruled out in Dacera’s case because the aortic aneurysm is considered a medical condition. Rape and/or drug overdose will not result to the development of aneurysm,” Palmero said in his report.
“Even overdose and ruptured aneurysm are two different conditions and cannot be both included as a cause of death of a patient,” it added.
On another police report that was also shared by the respondents, it said Dacera was found negative for illegal drugs .
Dacera's family refused to accept these findings.
In a press conference, Mike Santiago, the lawyer of the respondents, said it is wrong for the complainant to say there was foul play as they don’t know the source of the evidence submitted by the police.
“These professionals will not release any report without basis. The medico-legal report was based on the autopsy conducted on the body. It is not a mere opinion. It is a scientific finding of doctors,” Santiago said.
Santiago said they will trust the evaluation and appreciation of the prosecutor.
“We don’t want to overstep or preempt any findings of the investigating prosecutors. We trust they will evaluate and appreciate the evidence before them, and come up with a fair resolution,” he said.
Santiago said they are still waiting for the release of the CCTV footage taken in the hotel.
Dacera was found by her friends unconscious in the morning of January 1 after they celebrated New Year’s Eve in a hotel room in Makati City.
Police immediately filed a case for homicide with rape against 11 persons who were with Dacera.
The Makati City police, the one investigating the case, was criticized for rushing the investigation.
Philippine National Police chief General Debold Sinas approved the recommendation of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) relieving the chief of police for command responsibility and three other police officers for lapses and negligence.
However, Danao said he will deal with the recommendation once the prosecutor releases his decision. Ella Dionisio/DMS
