SEVEN out of 11 respondents showed up as the Makati City Prosecutors Office started the preliminary investigation on the death of flight attendant Christine Dacera, who was found lifeless in the bathtub of a Makati City hotel on January 1.
Gregorio de Guzman, Rommel Galido, JP dela Serna, Valentine Rosales, Clark Rapinan and John Paul Halili submitted their joint counter-affidavit while Rey Ingles and Louie de Lima were represented by their legal counsels.
Atty. Brick Reyes, spokesperson of the Dacera family, said they are still waiting for the result of the second autopsy conducted by the National Bureau and Investigation. The family has disputed the result of the autopsy released by the Southern Police District.
Meanwhile, 12 occupants of Room 2207 of the Makati hotel repeatedly visited by flight attendant Christine Dacera before she died last January 1 showed up at the NBI.
NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin said the 12 heeded the subpoena issued by the agency for them to appear as part of the ongoing investigation into Dacera’s death.
Lavin said they were accompanied by three lawyers.
Lavin, however, did not identify them or if they submitted affidavits to the NBI.
Dacera’s companions at Room 2209 previously said they were introduced to occupants of Room 2207 by a common friend.
Her companions at Room 2209 were among those charged by the Makati police for rape with homicide.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier said the NBI have already established the identities of the occupants of Room 2207.
“I think they have been invited to appear at the NBI to provide any relevant information,” Guevarra said on Monday, adding the NBI also knows the identity of the person who registered at the reception for the room.
The NBI is conducting a separate probe on Dacera’s death upon the order of Guevarra, who said the initial investigation conducted by the Makati police was “not thorough enough.” (H. Achero with N. Talacay, Malaya)