THE Philippine National Police (PNP) said three men have been arrested and charged over the rape-slay of flight attendant Christine Angelica Dacera in a hotel in Makati City.
Nine others were considered at-large, the PNP said in a statement issued late Monday night, January 4, 2021.
Those who were arrested and charged for the rape with homicide are John Pascual Dela Serna III, 27; Rommel Daluro Galido, 29; and John Paul Reyes Halili, 25.
Inquest proceedings were held at the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office Monday.
The PNP said nine persons were still being sought, namely, Gregorio Angelo de Guzman, Louie de Lima, Clark Jezreel Rapinan, Rey Englis, Mark Anthony Rosales, Jammyr Cunanan, Valentine Rosales, a certain Ed Madrid and a certain Paul.
Dacera, 23, was found unconscious on January 1, 2021 in the bathtub in her hotel room at the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City, where she had attended a New Year’s Eve party with the suspects.
Police said the hotel staff tried, but failed, to revive her through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). They brought her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead by doctors.
PNP Chief Debold Sinas said Brigadier General Emmanuel Peralta, director of the Southern Police District, has assured the Dacera family of a prompt and thorough investigation.
Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay, for her part, said she has instructed the local police to “leave no stone unturned in its investigation” of Dacera’s death and ensure that the truth would prevail.
PAL Express, in a statement, described Dacera as “an upstanding and professional PAL Express crew member who will be sorely missed by her colleagues and friends.”
“We are extending full support to the flight attendant's family at this most difficult time. Our desire is for the truth to come out in the interest of justice,” the company said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Tuesday, January 5, issued a show cause order to City Garden Grand Hotel over its possible violation of general community quarantine (GCQ) rules.
The hotel management, through general manager Richard Reazon, was given three days to explain why its DOT accreditation should not be suspended or revoked.
Metro Manila, of which Makati City is a part, is under GCQ. Based on guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, hotels in areas under GCQ are not allowed to provide accommodation for leisure purposes.
This is strengthened by DOT Administrative Order No. 2020-002-C, which also prohibits hotels accommodating staycation guests from being used as quarantine facilities.
DOT Regional Director Woodrow Maquiling Jr., in his letter to the hotel manager, cited reports saying several individuals had “checked in or spent the evening” in one of the rooms at the hotel on December 31, 2020. (Marites Villamor-Ilano / SunStar Philippines)