Mom prods suspects in daughter’s alleged rape-slay: If you are innocent, come out

Updated @ 10:16 p.m., Jan. 5, 2021

MANILA, Philippines — If you are innocent, come out.

This was the call of Sharon Dacera to other suspects in the killing of her daughter, flight attendant Christine Angela Dacera, inside a Makati City hotel on New Year’s Day.

“Sa mga taong involved sa aksidente na nangyari sa anak ko, kung inosente kayo, lumabas na kayo. Kung gusto ninyo patunayan na wala kayong kasalanan, lumabas kayo,” she said during a press conference on Tuesday.

(To those involved in the accident that happened to my daughter, if you are innocent, show yourselves. If you want to prove that you are innocent, show up.)

“Hindi po namin hahayaan na panindigan na ni-rape niyo po ang anak ko,” she further said.

Image: Instagram/@xtinedacera

According to police reports, Christine, an employee of Philippine Airlines Express, was found unconscious in an empty bathtub at a hotel in Makati City, where she supposedly attended a New Year’s Eve celebration with friends, on January 1. She was then rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.

An initial probe by Scene of the Crime Operatives showed that the 23-year-old victim was sexually abused.

Police said they filed a provisional charge of rape with homicide against 11 suspects, including Christine’s three friends, who are currently under police custody.

4th suspect surfaced

Meanwhile, police earlier reported that Rey Ingles, the so-called primary suspect in the rape-slay, surfaced at Pasay police station but did not continue his surrender.

In a report from the city police, Ingles arrived at the police station but “later changed his mind” after a conversation with his legal counsel.

“Consequently, when police officers arrived at the given address REY INGLES voluntarily submitted himself to the custody of the responding officers wherein he was brought to our Sub-station,” read the police report.

“However, while in this office REY INGLES called up his lawyer and after their conversation he changed his mind and averred that he is no longer interested to give [his] statement upon the instruction of his lawyer,” it added.

Ingles also questioned why he was being under custody when his “case was already filed in Makati City prosecutor’s office,” Pasay police said.

“He also asked the police officers why he was being held in the police station considering the fact that the case against him was already filed in Makati City Prosecutor’s Office which is contrary to his earlier statement that he will surrender. Thus, REY INGLES through the advice of his lawyer immediately left this Sub-station,” read the police report.

Lawyer Brick Reyes, legal counsel of the Dacera family, said they were still confirming reports that Ingles gave his testimony regarding the incident.

“We understand that one of the respondents in the person of Rey Ingles has appeared in the police station, and given a statement. I need to confirm that because I have not talked to the police on what happened,” Reyes said, speaking partly in Filipino, during a press conference this Tuesday.

KGA