Sinas warns suspects in Dacera to surrender in 72 hours

January 6, 2021

The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday night warned the remaining suspects on the death of 23-year-old flight attendant Christine Dacera to surrender within 72 hours.

In a statement, General Debold Sinas made the ultimatum.

"This is a fair warning. Surrender within 72 hours or we will hunt you down using force, if necessary," Sinas said.

Earlier, Sinas said three suspects were arrested and facing charges for rape with homicide while nine remain at-large.

With the identification of the suspect, the PNP chief said the case is  solved.

According to the PNP guidelines, a case can be considered solved but not yet closed if all suspects were identified.

“We know who you are. Your family must turn you over to the police," the PNP chief said.

Sinas said those who will be found abetting their escape will also be arrested.

According to a news report, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO)chief Brig. Gen Vicente Danao Jr told the respondents to surrender especially those who were caught in the CCTV with Dacera hours before she was found dead.

"If you have nothing to hide, then maybe I would advice you to voluntarily surrender yourselves to the police station... If you did not do anything, why are you hiding?" Danao said.

He said no one can narrate what happened to the victim aside from those who are with her during their party.

"It could be possible that she intake something or it could be possible that she drink something unwillingly... We cannot say (what happened) because no one saw the actual incident and no one can say if she was rape or she drink something," Danao said.

According to the Makati police, one of the respondents said the victim said Dacera thought one of persons in the New Year party  put something in her drink as she felt weird.

Dacera was with her friends to celebrate New Year's Eve before she was found in the bathtub of her hotel room in Makati City past noon of January 1.

Based on her medico legal, she died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm however her family believed that something triggered her cause of death prompting them to sought and independent autopsy on Dacera. Ella Dionisio/DMS