DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 05 January) — The University of the Philippines in Mindanao is calling for justice for its 2017 cum laude graduate Christine “Ica” Dacera, who was allegedly raped and found dead in a Makati hotel room on New Year’s day.
The 23-year old flight attendant from General Santos City, finished BA Communication Arts, major in Media Arts at UP Mindanao in this city. She was also a member of the University’s Dance Ensemble.
Christine Angelica Dacera’s graduation photo. She finished BA Communication Arts at the University of the Philippines in Mindanao in 2017, cum laude. Photo from Remembering Christine Dacera FB page
“We urge the authorities to investigate and serve the justice she deserves. It is high time to dismantle the macho-feudal system that perpetuates sexual violence.
We call for accountability. We call for justice,” UP Mindanao said in a statement Tuesday.
Himati, the student publication of UP Mindanao, also called for justice for Dacera, who worked as flight attendant of Philippine Airlines (PAL) Express.
“This revolting tragedy reminds us of the relentless attempts to shrink the democratic spaces of women — a by-product of the macho-feudal system in our society. Nowhere is safe when simply existing serves as an invitation for violence to those who wish to violate,” Himati said.
Friends, classmates and professors also called for justice as they paid tribute to Dacera in their social media posts.
Christine Angelica Dacera, flight attendant, Philippine Airlines (PAL) Express. Photo from Remembering Christine Dacera FB page
“Our desire is for the truth to come out in the interest of justice,” the airline company said in a statement on Tuesday.
Dacera, it said, was an “upstanding and professional PAL Express crew member who will be sorely missed by her colleagues and friends.”
As of Tuesday, only three of the 11 persons who were at the party that Christine attended have come forward. Philippine National Police chief General Debold Sinas on Tuesday night issued an ultimatum urging the eight others to surrender in 72 hours or be hunted down. No warrant of arrest had been issued when Sinas issued the warning.
Dacera, according to post-mortem reports, died of ruptured aortic aneurysm but her family in a press conference on Tuesday said they sought another autopsy.
CNN Philippines quoted Paolo Tuliao, one of the lawyers of the Dacera family, as saying they are ” disputing the findings of the SOCO, ‘yung post-mortem report na they claimed the cause of death was aneurysm” because “they didn’t specify sa report ‘yung mga hematoma, ‘yung mga bruises that were found on the victim’s body, that’s why we (sought) another post-mortem report from an independent medico-legal.” (MindaNews)
