NBI won’t rush report on Dacera case: Guevarra

MANILA – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will leave no stone unturned in its parallel investigation into the case of deceased flight attendant Christine Angelica Dacera, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Wednesday.

“The NBI is not rushing its report because it wants all bases covered. (B)ut I’m sure that the NBI will be able to submit its report before the prosecutor concludes the preliminary investigation and resolves the case,” Guevarra told newsmen in response to queries about the report.

Last week, police forensic experts who examined the tissues of the internal organs of the deceased flight attendant ruled that the cause of her death is “natural”.

The report, signed by Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory Medico-Legal Officer Lt. Col. Joseph Palmero,also ruled out homicide as the cause of Dacera’s death, noting that an aortic aneurysm is considered a medical condition.

“Rape and/or drug overdose will not result in the development of aneurysms. Even overdose and ruptured aneurysm are two different conditions and cannot be both included as a cause of death of a patient,” the report said.

Increased blood pressure, it added, is the triggering factor for the ruptured aneurysm.

However, the Dacera family rejected the PNP’s medico-legal report and insisted that there was a crime committed that resulted in her death.

Dacera was found dead in her hotel room in Makati City at around noon of Jan. 1 after a private New Year’s Eve party with her friends.

The initial autopsy by the Southern Police District’s Crime Laboratory Office on Dacera showed that the cause of her death was “ruptured aortic aneurysm”.