THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has downplayed the decision of the Makati City Prosecutor to send back the Christine Dacera rape with homicide case and order the release of the accused from detention.
Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana, PNP spokesperson, on Thursday, January 7, 2021, said the Makati City Police were just doing their job.
"We will not fault the local police because they were just doing their job. In the desire to have their objective of solving the case is met with such efficiency, they just thought that was it. Since the prosecutor sent back the case for further investigation, that was simply it. Further investigation," Usana said.
He was asked to comment on the order of the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday afternoon, January 6, to release John Pascual dela Serna III, Rommel Galido and John Paul Halili, three of the 11 persons accused of rape with homicide over Dacera’s death.
The court said there was insufficient evidence to pin them down and that further investigation is needed.
Despite this setback, Usana said investigators assigned to the case will just continue their work with the goal of attaining justice not just for Dacera but also for the accused.
"But at least they have started somewhere. Additional evidence (is what the) prosecutor (needs) That's how the machinery of (the) justice system works," Usana said.
"Our investigators will just continue their work on the case in just a normal fashion. The challenge to ferret out the truth and serve the ends of justice is everyone's objective," he added.
Dacera, a 23-year-old flight attendant, was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her hotel room in Makati City on New Year’s Day.
Police said Dacera had partied all night long in the hotel room together with 11 gay men.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Vicente Danao Jr. said they were still waiting for the result of a drug test conducted on Dacera.
Based on the initial autopsy report, Dacera died of ruptured aortic aneurysm.
PNP Chief Debold Sinas, however, has insisted that Dacera was raped and killed, citing the the lacerations and semen found in her vagina.
The 11 accused have denied the claim of the police, reiterating that all of them are gays and that they cannot do such gruesome act to their friend even though they were intoxicated.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the National Bureau of Investigation will conduct a second autopsy on Dacera's body to determine the real cause of her death. (SunStar Philippines)