Christine Angelica Dacera. Photo from Instagram
MANILA, Philippines — The three suspects tagged in the New Year’s Day death of Christine Angelica Dacera broke their silence shortly after the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office ordered their release on Thursday.
John Paul Halili, Rommel Galido, and John dela Serna were placed under police custody as they turned themselves in to authorities. They were among the 11 suspects, whom the Makati City Police named in its provisional rape with homicide complaint with the city prosecutor’s office.
The Makati City Prosecutor, however, sent the complaint back to police “for further investigation,” pointing out that “the pieces of evidence so far submitted are insufficient” to establish sexual assault or rape.
After being released from the custodial facility of Makati police station on Wednesday night, Galido expressed his condolences to Dacera’s family, noting that he treated the victim like his sister.
“Nararamdaman ko po iyong sakit na nararamdaman nila [Dacera’s family] kasi naging parang kapatid ko siya [Dacera]. Sobrang mahal na mahal ko po siya. Para sa akin, sobrang sakit din po mawala si Christine pero sana malinawan ang pamilya ni Christine. Iyon lang po,” Galido told reporters.
(I feel their pain because Christine was like a sister to me. I really love her so much. For me, it is really painful that Christine is gone but I hope her family will find clarity. That’s all.)
An emotional Halili, on the other hand, stressed how the case surrounding the death of the 23-year-old flight attendant was difficult for him.
“Tingnan na lang natin kung ano iyong lumabas na resulta. Hirap na hirap na po kasi ako,” he said and later on, broke into tears.
(Let’s just look into the result that came out. This is already hard for me.)
Dela Serna, meanwhile, said he loved Dacera so much because she became part of their lives.
On January 1, Dacera was found unconscious in a bathtub of a hotel in Makati City, where she spent the night with friends following a New Year’s Eve celebration. She was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
According to police, their investigation shows Dacera was raped and killed but they refused to make public the victim’s medico-legal report.
Another person labeled as a suspect in Dacera’s case, Gregorio de Guzman, had earlier questioned the police’s rape-slay angle, asserting that he is not capable of having sex with a woman because he is gay.