General Santos City—Alleged “rape-slay” victim, flight attendant Christine Angelica Dacera, was laid to rest in a private cemetery in this city on Sunday morning amid calls for justice over her death.
Over 100 mourning family members and close friends of Dacera attended the funeral at the Forest Lake Memorial Park in Barangay Apopong here past 10 a.m.
“Please pray for us as we continue to fight for justice for Christine,” her mother, Sharon Rose, said during the interment program.
She reiterated they will not stop until all personalities allegedly involved in the death of her daughter, whom authorities and family members “strongly believed” was a victim of sexual abuse, will be jailed and convicted of the crime.
Sharon appealed for understanding and support for her family.
“We still don’t know who did this to her and we need ourselves to be protected also,” she said.
Christine, 23, was found dead in her hotel room in Makati City around noon last Jan. 1, several hours after joining a private New Year’s Eve party. Her family believes she was drugged and sexually abused.
Her friends, who were with her at the party, denied they raped and killed her, instead claiming that they cared for her until her final moments.
The initial autopsy conducted by the Southern Police District’s Crime Laboratory Office ruled the cause of death as “ruptured aortic aneurysm” but the Makati City police and Philippine National Police chief Gen. Debold Sinas, declared it as a “rape-slay.”
Forensic experts from the National Bureau of Investigation conducted another autopsy on Christine’s remains here on Saturday night as part of the ongoing investigation.
Janessa Villota, Christine’s friend and classmate at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Mindanao in Davao City, called her passing as “unjust, unfair and undeserved.”
“(This) could happen to anyone and everyone if the people involved are not held accountable,” she said.
Villota said they are “devastated” at how the media has been framing their friend’s death based on speculation and claims from various parties.
“She is who deserves to live. We will not be silenced, we will not let this case be ignored or forgotten after this burial. We will fight for the truth, we will fight for you,” she added.
Sharon said Christine, whom they fondly called “Lyca” or “Ica,” was a loving and good daughter who only wanted the best for her family.
“You know why she chose to become a flight attendant? It’s because she wants to take us for a tour around the world,” she said.
Christine’s aunt Mimi Dacera, who took care and acted as her “second mother” while she was studying at UP Mindanao, described her as “sweet, good-hearted and loving child.”
She said her niece lived a short yet full life that is worthy of celebration.
Christine, who grew up in this city, finished her BA Communication Arts major in Media Arts at UP Mindanao in 2017 as cum laude, and was a member of the university’s dance ensemble.
She worked as flight attendant of the Philippine Airlines or PAL Express until her death.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Sunday expressed confidence that the second autopsy by the NBI on the embalmed remains of Dacera may still yield some results useful for determining her actual cause of death.
Nonetheless, Guevarra admitted that conducting a second autopsy given the body’s state would be a tough job.
Guevarra said NBI personnel have gone to General Santos City to extract tissue samples from Dacera's body, hoping that they can still find something indicating the actual cause of her death.
"It's true that it's a bit difficult, but … it's still possible. That's why they went there,” Guevarra told a TV interview.
Guevarra ordered the NBI to conduct a separate investigation into Dacera’s death on Jan. 7.
The Makati prosecutor's office will start a preliminary investigation on Jan. 13. At the end of this process, prosecutors will decide whether to file charges against the respondents in court.
Upon arrival from General Santos City, the NBI team will conduct its own investigation that would run parallel with the one being conducted by the Philippine National Police.
As part of its investigation, the NBI will summon the guests in the room next to Dacera and her friends, Guevarra said, adding that the identities of these guests can easily be known through information from the hotel as well as through CCTV footage.