Dacera camp to pursue other ‘legal remedies’ if prosecutor junks complaints

MANILA, Philippines — The family of flight attendant Christine Dacera will pursue other legal remedies if the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office would dismiss the provisional charge of rape with homicide against 11 respondents in the case.

This despite the Philippine National Police (PNP) ruling out homicide and rape in Dacera’s death, saying medical records show that the flight attendant had died of natural causes.

“Kahit naman hindi pumabor ang decision sa level ng prosecutor, hindi naman nawawalan ng legal remedies ang party ng private complainant para ipursue ang case. Willing and ready ang family ipursue ang lahat ng legal remedies,” Attorney Jose Ledda III, one of the legal counsels for the Dacera family, told the media on Thursday after the preliminary investigation of the case at the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office.

(Even if the decision of the prosecutor is not in favor of our party, we can still pursue other legal remedies. The family is willing and ready to pursue all kinds of legal remedies.)

Ledda said the respondents in the case are set to file their rejoinder to the reply-affidavit that the Dacera camp had submitted to the City Prosecutor.

He added that the case is up for resolution after next week.

Medical findings still refuted

Attorney Mike Santiago, lawyer of the respondent said the reply-affidavit of the Dacera family showed that it is still contradicting the findings of the police that Dacera died of a medical condition, and not because of foul play.

“First, they are refuting yung findings ng PNP Crime Laboratory na walang homicide at si Ms. Christine Dacera died of natural causes. May allegations diyan,” he said when asked about the contents of the family’s reply-affidavit.

(They are refuting police’s documents that there is no homicide and that Dacera died of natural causes. There’s allegations.)

“The other thing is yung alleged rape, may allegations kung anong klaseng on rape ang nangyari, which are purely speculative on the part of the complainant,” Santiago further pointed out.

(They are alleging the kind of rape that happened which is purely speculative.)

Santiago said they will just “reiterate the findings in the medicolegal report and other documents” and will “set the record straight on what really transpired” in the death of Dacera.

To date, the police have yet to submit the toxicology records of the case to the prosecutor, said Santiago.

/MUF