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Sinas orders relief of Makati police chief, 3 other officers over alleged lapses in Dacera case

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - Philippine National Police chief Gen. Debold Sinas has ordered the relief of Makati City&#x27;s police chief, 2 investigators and a medico legal officer of the Southern Police District (SPD) over supposed lapses in handling the case of flight attendant Christine Dacera&#x27;s death.</p><p>In a press briefing Wednesday, Sinas said sacking Makati police chief Police Col. Harold Depositar was prompted by &quot;command responsibility.&quot;</p><p>Meanwhile, SPD medico legal chief Police Maj. Michael Nick Sarmiento and 2 other investigators of the Makati PNP were also ordered relieved while internal investigation goes on. </p><p>&quot;[The] following recommendations I have approved: First of course to relieve the chief of police because of command responsibility. Second, the relief and investigation of the 2 investigators. [There will be an] investigation to check if may lapses ang medico legal o ang SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives) team ng Southern Police District,&quot; Sinas said in the briefing. </p><p>PNP Spokesperson Police Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana told ABS-CBN News that Sinas approved the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management&#x27;s recommendation to sack Depositar, Sarmiento, and the 2 other investigators. </p><p>&quot;Hindi pa sa ngayon naimplement. Pero inaprubahan na po ni PNP Chief ang rekomendasyon ng DIDM sa chief of police, SPD medico legal at dalawang imbestigador,&quot; Usana said. </p><p>(It has not been implemented yet. But the PNP chief has already approved the recommendation of DIDM over the chief of police, SPD medico-legal, and the two investigators.) </p><p>Sinas earlier noted that he would leave it up to Metro Manila police chief Police Brig. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. whether or not to implement it.</p><p>Meanwhile, Danao said he has yet to read the recommendation, but notes the the officials&#x27; fate would depend on the results of the preliminary investigation of the Makati Prosecutor&#x27;s Office.</p><p>Danao said heads will roll in the event the charges are dropped against suspects, which he had earlier admitted were lacking.</p><p>He says they are still waiting for additional evidence that may shed light on the incident, noting they remain open for persons of interest to give their statements.</p><p>Dacera was found unresponsive in the bathtub of a Makati Hotel past noon on January 1, after a night of partying. She was declared dead upon arrival, with initial examination ruling her cause of death as ruptured aortic aneurysm. </p><p>Police, however, said her death was a crime, noting wounds when she was found. Several men who were in the room where she had spent the night were tagged as suspects in the complaint police filed as a rape with homicide case. </p><p>Danao earlier said the police complaint was half-baked. The Makati City Prosecutors Office had released three suspects held for Dacera&#x27;s death, saying evidence filed so far were &quot;insufficient to establish that she was sexually assaulted or raped.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/07/21/medyo-hilaw-says-metro-manila-police-chief-on-rape-charges-vs-dacera-case-suspects">&#x27;Medyo hilaw,&#x27; says Metro Manila police chief on rape charges vs Dacera case suspects</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/06/21/makati-prosecutor-orders-release-of-3-suspects-in-dacera-death-case-for-further-investigation">Makati prosecutor orders release of 3 suspects in Dacera death, case for further investigation</a></li></ul><div><strong>— Reports from Doland Castro and Raffy Santos, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong> RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MLh_i51-VI8?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Philippine National Police chief Gen. Debold Sinas has ordered the relief of Makati City's police chief, 2 investigators and a medico legal officer of the Southern Police District (SPD) over supposed lapses in handling the case of flight attendant Christine Dacera's death.</p>

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Debold Sinas has ordered the relief of Makati City's police chief, 2 investigators and a medico legal officer of the Southern Police District (SPD) over supposed lapses in handling the case of flight attendant Christine Dacera's death.