The first day of 2021 remains etched in the memory of the Dacera family, not as a celebration, but as the moment tragedy violently intersected with a young, bright life.

While many celebrated the dawning of a new year, for the loved ones of Christine Angelica Dacera, known affectionately as “Ika,” that day marked an insurmountable loss and the beginning of a relentless quest for truth.

This is a story that captivated and divided a nation, raising uncomfortable questions about justice, police integrity, and the sanctity of truth in high-profile cases.

The Promise of a Future Interrupted

Christine Dacera, born in General Santos City on April 13, 1997, was the second of four children, cherished by her parents as intelligent, deeply creative, and loving.

Her academic career was stellar; she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Mindanao with a degree in Communication in Media Arts.

After two years working as a marketing associate for a prominent mall chain in Mindanao, Christine’s natural grace, confidence, and striking looks drew her into the world of pageantry.

She achieved notable success, earning First Runner-Up in a Davao pageant in 2017 and making the finals of Mutya ng Davao two years later.

In 2019, Christine achieved a professional dream, joining Philippine Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, as a flight attendant.

This new profession brought her to Pasay City, Manila, and her social media posts reflected a vibrant life filled with travel, new connections, and the infectious joy of a young woman living life to the fullest.

She was active online, sharing glimpses of her work and personal life—a cheerful, fashion-forward individual creating new memories with friends.

The New Year’s Party and the Discovery

Christine completed her final shift of 2020 on December 28, a date marked by her last Instagram post, optimistically captioned, “Last flight for this one hell of a year.”

With her mother’s permission, she checked into Room 2209 at the City Garden Hotel in Makati to ring in the New Year with three friends: Romel Galida, Gregorio de Guzman, and John JP de Laerna.

The night began innocently enough, with the group eating and drinking together, but the gathering soon expanded.

Nine additional men, reportedly friends of Christine’s friends, arrived and occupied the adjoining Room 2207.

At approximately 6:23 AM, surveillance footage showed one of the men carrying Christine from Room 2207 back to her own Room 2209.

Her three initial companions stated they helped the visibly weary young woman lie down in bed before everyone decided to call it a night.

However, testimony from one of the party guests, Clark Rapinan, suggested otherwise, stating Christine was unwell and throwing up around 7:30 AM, prompting him to assist her in the bathroom.

Rapinan later claimed he advised her to sleep around 8:00 AM, but Christine insisted on remaining in the bathtub, unwilling to soil the bed.

Two hours later, at 10:00 AM, Romel Galida awoke and found Christine still in the tub.

He brought her a blanket, confirming in his statement that she was alive at that moment before he returned to sleep.

The true tragedy struck two hours later when Galida woke again, intending to wake his friends for check-out.

Upon seeing Christine, he immediately noticed her unnatural complexion and that she appeared to be without breath.

In a frantic panic, Galida checked for a pulse and, finding none, alerted his two friends.

Rapinan and De Guzman quickly attempted resuscitation, while Galida rushed out to Room 2207 and sought assistance from the still-sleeping guests and the hotel staff.

The friends claimed the hotel’s response was agonizingly slow and lacked necessary medical equipment, bringing only a small wheelchair that was inadequate for Christine’s stature.

The hotel staff, for their part, claimed their calls to the local emergency rescue services went unanswered, leaving Christine’s friends to transport her themselves to the Makati Medical Center.

She was sadly pronounced de@d on arrival.

The Shocking Bruises and the Two Autopsies

One of the first people to arrive at the hospital was Dr. Marich Ramos, a close friend and surrogate mother figure to Christine in Manila.

Dr. Ramos was immediately alarmed by the prominent contusions and abrasions she observed across Christine’s body.

Her initial assessment suggested the markings could have resulted from a struggle or altercation, prompting her to file an immediate police report in Makati.

Police quickly apprehended two of Christine’s friends who had brought her to the hospital. Gregorio de Guzman voluntarily surrendered later that day.

On January 2, the first official autopsy was conducted by Medico Legal Officer Police Major Michael Nick Sarmiento.

His initial postmortem examination declared no foul play and attributed Christine’s de@th to a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

The report did note the presence of contusions on her hands, thighs, knees, ankles, and a linear abrasion on her right thigh. A laceration on the genital area was also noted but declared to be old or healing.

Crucially, the report stated that Christine’s body had already been embalmed prior to the autopsy.

The police’s announcement of the initial findings, citing de@th by natural causes, was swiftly rejected by Christine’s grieving family and Dr. Ramos, who publicly contested that the severity of the body’s markings was inconsistent with an aortic aneurysm.

The following day, however, the police—under intense public and family pressure—made a dramatic and contradictory declaration that shocked the nation: they now suspected foul play.

They officially declared the cause of de@th was due to suspected sexual assault and homicide, filing charges of homicide with alleged sexual misconduct against eleven men present at the party.

The Controversy of the Contaminated Evidence

When pressed by reporters for the reason behind the sudden, drastic reversal, police officials cited the bruises and, controversially, claimed they had detected traces of seminal fluid inside the young woman’s body.

This second, highly inflammatory statement immediately drew suspicion and criticism, particularly online, as the police failed to provide any official postmortem report to substantiate their new claims.

Many speculated that the police were succumbing to immense public pressure to swiftly resolve the high-profile case.

A major flaw emerged in the case: the police’s claims of discovering semen contradicted their own initial report.

The absence of strong, concrete evidence stalled the case, preventing the court from issuing arrest warrants for the remaining eight men who had since checked out of the hotel.

Amidst the controversy, PNP Chief Police General Debold Sinas publicly declared the case “solved,” while Makati Police Chief Colonel Harold Depositar claimed in a CNN interview that they had found seminal fluid, despite its omission in the primary postmortem examination.

In a counter-statement, the men who had been with Christine declared that they were members of the LGBTQIA+ community and vehemently denied the allegations of sexual assault.

Police, however, dismissed this defense, arguing that sexual orientation did not preclude them from committing the alleged crime, citing CCTV footage showing Christine, while intoxicated, kissing one of the men.

The grieving family publicly condemned the initial police autopsy results, pointing out the gross negligence of having embalmed the body without their permission before the postmortem examination.

They rightly argued that the injection of formalin would render any subsequent forensic tests—including toxicology, bodily fluids, and DNA analyses—inconclusive and unreliable, as the samples would be entirely contaminated.

This massive error in protocol deepened the family’s pain and solidified their distrust of the police handling the investigation.

Due to the mishandling by the PNP, the Dacera family sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), requesting a second, independent autopsy.

Christine’s remains were temporarily moved, allowing her family and friends a private moment of mourning.

The Charges Dropped and the Case’s Collapse

While the family mourned, the three arrested suspects were ordered released by the Makati Prosecutor’s Office.

The reason was clear: the police had failed to present crucial evidence, including the DNA test, toxicology report, and histopath examination needed to substantiate the grave charges of homicide with alleged sexual misconduct.

On January 7, Christine’s remains were flown to General Santos City, and one week after her de@th, she was laid to rest at the Forest Lake Memorial Park.

Following the backlash, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formed a special investigation task force, which included the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

NCRPO Chief Vicente Danao Jr. openly admitted the high probability that the original samples collected were contaminated due to the unauthorized embalming.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevara revealed that approximately 100 ml of urine had been preserved, which could potentially assist the investigation, though most experts anticipated inconclusive results due to the formalin contamination.

The NBI later confirmed that the urine sample tested negative for any controlled substance, a finding that surprised few, given the circumstances.

The controversy continued as Christine’s friends, now represented by counsel, countersued the Makati police, claiming they were pressured to admit to using illegal substances during the party.

They publicly released their own negative drug test results, taken between January 4 and January 11, to prove their innocence.

The fallout from the police’s controversial handling of the situation led to the removal and relief of four officers, including Chief Depositar and Medico Legal Officer Michael Nick Sarmiento, specifically for failing to obtain family consent before ordering the embalming.

On January 27, the PNP officially reverted to their original finding, declaring Christine’s de@th was due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm caused by undiagnosed hypertension.

They cited the original report, noting her he@rt weighed 500 grams, significantly larger than the normal 300 grams.

They also withdrew their earlier claims of substance use at the party, admitting that their investigation found no evidence of controlled substances in either hotel room.

On February 17, 2021, the PNP officially declared the mystery of the young woman’s de@th closed.

However, the case found new life when the Makati Prosecutor’s Office ordered its reopening in March 2021, citing a new toxicology report submitted by the Makati police.

This report, using immunological testing, allegedly found seminal fluid on a blanket in Christine’s room.

This new evidence was immediately refuted by the defense counsel for Christine’s friends, who argued it directly contradicted earlier NBI and NCRPO findings.

The defense pointed out that no other DNA was found on Christine’s undergarments and reiterated that all investigating agencies had confirmed the natural cause of de@th.

The NBI later recommended filing charges of Obstruction of Justice against the eleven men for their lack of cooperation, and also suggested reckless imprudence resulting in homicide for failing to seek prompt medical attention for Christine despite knowing she was unwell.

They also recommended charges against Medical Legal Officer Sarmiento for the unauthorized embalming.

Ultimately, on April 23, 2021, the Makati Prosecutor’s Office officially dismissed the initial criminal case against the friends due to a critical lack of evidence.

The respective parties exchanged lawsuits, but one year after her tragic passing, the Makati Prosecutor’s Office dismissed all remaining cases, concluding the tragic legal saga due to insufficient, non-conclusive evidence.

The unresolved de@th of Christine Dacera remains a profound wound for her family, a stark testament to how negligence and contradictory actions by law enforcement can permanently obscure the truth, leaving a talented young woman’s memory shrouded in controversy and unanswered questions.