Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday expressed confidence that the National Bureau of Investigation would be able to complete its report before the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office wraps up its preliminary investigation of the case involving the death of flight attendant Christine Dacera.
“The NBI is not rushing its report because it wants all bases covered. But 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 said in a text message to reporters.
According to Guevarra, he will transmit the NBI’s report to the Makati prosecutor’s office as soon as he receives it.
The NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin says they have no updates as of Wednesday because they are “still running other DNA tests.”
Guevarra ordered the NBI to investigate Dacera’s death last month after finding the initial police probe “not thorough enough.”
As the NBI conducts its forensic investigation, the Makati City prosecutor is conducting a preliminary investigation into the police complaint for rape with homicide against 11 of Dacera’s companions before she died on January 1.
The prosecutor conducted the third hearing on the criminal complaint on Wednesday as part of the process to determine whether to file charges against the respondents in court.
Last week, the police submitted to the prosecutor a medico legal report from the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory stating that Dacera died of a ruptured aneurysm in her aorta that was triggered by an increase in blood pressure.
The report ruled out homicide in Dacera’s death but her family believes there was foul play.
