Dacera death case respondents stand behind PNP’s medico-legal report

MANILA, Philippines — Respondents to the Christine Dacera case have maintained their faith in the medico-legal report of the Philippine National Police (PNP), which determined the flight attendant’s death was of natural causes.

This comes after the lawyer of Dacera’s family questioned the PNP medico-legal report that dismissed the probability of rape and homicide.

“That is unfair to the competent men and women of the crime laboratory of Philippine National Police. These professionals will not release a report without any basis. The basis is clear as day, there are visceral organs submitted for the examination,” said Atty. Mike Santiago, counsel to five respondents in the Dacera death case, during a press conference in Las Piñas City on Thursday.

Santiago specifically represents Rommel Galido, JP Dela Serna, Gregorio De Guzman, Clark Rapinan, and Valentine Rosales – friends of Dacera, 23, who was found unconscious in a dry bathtub in a Makati City hotel on January 1, following a night of partying.

On Wednesday, the PNP submitted its medico-legal findings to the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office, in which it states that Dacera died of an aneurysm caused by increased blood pressure.

The report also says Dacera has undiagnosed hypertension after observing that her heart weighed more than a normal heart.

Wait for NBI autopsy report

In an interview with dzBB earlier Thursday, Brick Reyes, spokesman of the Dacera family, argued: “Iyong kanyang report kung basahin, it is clear na irregular ‘yung report, tapos ang conclusion na manner of death is ruled out. Bakit abogado ba siya? Piskal? Does he know the elements of crime and homicide?”

(The report, if you read it, it is clear that the report is irregular then the conclusion that the manner of death is ruled out. Why? Is he a lawyer? A prosecutor? Does he know the elements of crime and homicide.)

“So, we believe it should never be given importance. Parang opinion lang sa nagbigay sa kanya ng report,” he added.

(I believe it should never be given importance. It’s like an opinion from the one who gave the report.)

Reyes said the family would rather wait for the result of an autopsy conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation than consider the medico-legal report of Police Lt. Col. Joseph Palmero.

“I think we should wait for the autopsy [of the] NBI rather than give importance to Doctor [Joseph] Palmero’s report,” he said.

KGA