Dacera case respondents want restart, return to normal lives

MANILA, Philippines — Companions of Christine Angelica Dacera at the tragic New Year’s Day party said on Thursday they wanted to move on with their lives after they were accused in the alleged rape-slay of Dacera, who died of natural causes.

“For now, all we want is for it to be over. We want to move on from our lives, we want to restart because we don’t know where to start, to build everything that has been damaged,” an emotional Gregorio de Guzman, who was accused of being involved in Dacera’s death, said over ANC, reacting to the recent medicolegal report showing that the victim died due to a medical condition, not rape and homicide.

“If there’s one lesson from all of this, the fear of doing the right thing. We’ve been trying to help because people will keep taking it out of context. People will antagonize you, if they want to for their own entertainment. I was there trying to do the right thing and being a good person,” De Guzman, son of veteran singer Claire dela Fuente, further said.

Clark Rapinan, another respondent in the Dacera complaint, said they want to return to their normal lives after their reputation was damaged for being involved in the case.

“Sirang sira na po ang reputation namin. Gusto na namin bumalik sa normal iyong buhay namin. May mga pamilya din po kami na sobrang naapektuhan lahat. Pamilya namin, trabaho namin. Basically, buhay namin sobrang damaged. Sana po maawa na po kayo sa amin,” he said.

(Our reputation has been destroyed. We want to return to our normal lives. We have families who were also affected. Our families, our jobs. Basically, our lives were damaged. I hope you will have mercy on us.)

On Wednesday, police submitted additional findings to the Makati city prosecutor’s office regarding the provisional charge of rape with homicide filed against the 11 people who were with Dacera during the New Year’s Day celebration.

However, a medico-legal report from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory showed that Dacera’s underlying cause of death was aneurysm which was triggered by increased blood pressure within her aorta.

With this, the report ruled out the homicide and rape angle in the case.

JE