NBI forensic findings in Dacera case seen out this week
MANILA, Philippines — Results of the National Bureau of Investigation’s forensic examination on the body of Christine Dacera may be released this week, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday.
The NBI last week started its second autopsy on Dacera’s body, and results may be out “in less than a week,” Guevarra told reporters.
NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin was quoted in a News5 report as acknowledging that conducting the forensic examination will be difficult, but that they are not discouraged.
“It is close to impossible considering there has already been compomise...the pieces of evidence have been compromised. They have been contaminated, they have deteriorated... There has been rapid deterioration in some of the evidence here," he said in Filipino.
#TedFailonandDJChaCha | Nagsagawa ng ikalawang autopsy ang NBI sa bangkay ng flight attendant na si Christine Dacera noong huling lamay sa General Santos City. pic.twitter.com/nNllSNE4IR
— News5 (@News5PH) January 11, 2021
The bureau was initially tapped to assist the Philippine National Police in determining the true case of Dacera’s death, but Guevarra has since ordered a full and separate probe into the case.
The DOJ chief said that the police’s probe was “not thorough enough,” noting that the Makati prosecution held that pieces of evidence submitted are insufficient to establish that Dacera was raped.
Assistant City Prosecutor Joan Bolina-Santillan ordered the release of three in police custody and refered the police's complaint for preliminary investigation.
Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento earlier said that the police’s complaint was “premature” and “incomplete.” He added: “We cannot ascertain at this point in time whether there is crime or none.”
Dacera's 11 companions summoned
Guevarra also said the NBI has identified Dacera's companions on the night before she was found unconscious in a Makati City hotel, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.
"The NBI knows the name of the person who registered at the reception and the faces [and] names of the other persons in Room 2207. I think they have been invited to appear today at the NBI to provide any relevant information," he added.
The DOJ chief refused to divulge more details on the bureau's probe, saying it is "more prudent to await further narrative accounts and the results of the NBI forensic examination."
Dacera was laid to rest in General Santos City on Sunday.
Preliminary investigation into the police’s complaint meanwhile is set on Wednesday, January 13. — Kristine Joy Patag
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