The Miss Philippines Controversy and 11 Men in a 4-Star Hotel

Hello

At the beginning of 2021, a case occurred in the Philippines that sparked widespread discussions. A tall, beautiful flight attendant celebrated New Year’s Eve with 11 men. After a night of passion, the young woman mysteriously died while lying in the bathtub. As a result, the 11 men became the prime suspects.

However, the police later revealed that the group of men were all homosexual, and all were cleared of any wrongdoing. The case ignited lively debates on the internet, with various speculations and opinions.

So, what happened that night?

I will now take you back to the details of the case from New Year's Eve 2021.

The story took place in Manila, the capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Manila is home to many famous tourist attractions tied to the country’s long history, as well as a shopping paradise for fashion lovers. The main character of the story is Christine Angelica Dacera.

She was born on April 13, 1997, in General Santos, Philippines. She was the second of four children in her family. Dacera was beautiful from a young age, constantly praised by the neighbors. Besides her looks, she was also very diligent in her studies, becoming the ideal child in the eyes of many parents. After finishing high school, she attended Mindanao University in the Philippines.

She had a cheerful personality and often shared her life on social media. She was also very active in beauty pageants, dancing, and modeling, achieving good results. In 2017, she participated in the Miss Universe Philippines competition and became the runner-up. Over the next two years, Dacera continued to pursue modeling but hadn’t gained significant fame yet.

Then, she shifted her focus to a job that many girls dreamed of: becoming a flight attendant. Because Dacera was exceptional, she passed the selection process and officially became a flight attendant for Philippine Airlines.

In 2019, to make it easier for work, she moved to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. After becoming a flight attendant, Dacera lived a very happy life. She frequently shared her beautiful photos on social media. With her tall, attractive, and sweet appearance, she quickly gained over 160,000 followers and became a minor celebrity on social media.

On December 28, 2020, Dacera posted a photo with the caption "The Last Flight of the Year," and that flight turned out to be the last of her life.

The Mysterious Death

December 31, 2020, was an unusual day for many, as crossing over from midnight marked the beginning of a new year and a fresh start. Dacera also decided to do something special for the occasion. After some thought, she planned to invite a few friends to celebrate New Year's Eve together. Coincidentally, three of her friends invited her out. The meeting spot would be the 4-star City Garden hotel in Makati City.

On that day, Dacera checked into the hotel room with three of her friends: Romeo Galido, Guzman, and Serna. They registered for room 2209. Initially, it was supposed to be a small gathering of just four people. However, her three friends invited eight others to join the party. These eight people checked into room 2207, right next to room 2209. It’s worth noting that Dacera did not know any of the eight men. Aside from her, the remaining 11 people were all men. You can imagine how wild that party must have been with one girl and 11 men. The 12 people drank and partied joyfully until 6 AM.

After a wild night, the 12 of them fell asleep. By the time they woke up, it was already 10 AM the next day. Galido was the first to wake up. He walked into the bathroom and found Dacera lying in the bathtub. He thought she might have drunk too much the night before and fallen asleep there. Instead of waking her up, he covered her with a blanket and went back to sleep.

By midday, he woke up again and went to check on Dacera in the bathtub. From a distance, he noticed her face looked unusually pale. Worried, he checked her breathing and froze when he realized she had passed away.

He quickly called his two friends, Guzman and Serna, for help. The three of them had never been through something like this and were in a state of panic. At first, they tried to perform CPR to revive her, but it was unsuccessful. They immediately rushed her to the Makati hospital, where it was confirmed that she had died before being transported to the hospital. The cause of death was determined to be an aortic aneurysm.

On January 2, 2021, a forensic doctor conducted an autopsy, and the results coincided with the hospital's findings, confirming that she had died from an aortic aneurysm. However, the autopsy also found bruises and scars on her right arm, thigh, knee, and ankle. There were also abrasions on her inner thigh and, more importantly, signs of scratches and tears in her intimate areas.

This evidence suggested that Dacera may have been attacked before her death, leading to the rupture of the aortic aneurysm.

The police chief of Makati City concluded that this could be a case where the 11 men who were with her could be responsible, making all of them suspects. Sperm was also found in Dacera’s body, which served as important physical evidence in the case. The Philippine National Police Chief stated that three of the suspects had been arrested, and the remaining eight were being hunted. He warned that if the remaining eight didn’t surrender within 72 hours, the consequences would be severe.

When the news broke, the case created a stir in the Philippines. A flight attendant and 11 men had a wild night, and the flight attendant ended up dead.

People eagerly discussed the case. Many condemned the 11 men and hoped the police would punish them severely. Others criticized Dacera for living a hedonistic lifestyle with no sense of restraint. According to the police, they had made a conclusion about the case. It was just a matter of arresting the suspects and questioning them.

But what people didn’t expect was that the case would take an unexpected turn.

The Unexpected Turn

After being arrested, the three suspects continuously cried out that they were innocent. They explained that they and Dacera were very close and would never have harmed her. They claimed that Dacera died of natural causes and that their involvement had nothing to do with her death. They even admitted that they were all gay and had no interest in women. Dacera knew about this and was fine with it. They had drunk a lot that night, but that was all. They hadn’t done anything to her. They also revealed that the eight other friends they had invited were also gay. They didn’t like women, so they wouldn’t have done anything to Dacera.

At this point, many people involved in the case began sharing information on the internet, revealing that the suspects were indeed only interested in men and had no criminal record. The families of the 11 suspects also spoke out, questioning the police's ability to handle the case and claiming that the police had prematurely concluded the case without proper investigation. This seemed illogical.

The police were confused as to why so many people from the LGBTQ+ community were involved. Was the case misjudged? Upon further review, it seemed that there were indeed flaws and contradictions in the police investigation.

Firstly, the police had stated that sperm was found in Dacera’s body, but they had not compared the DNA to that of the suspects before drawing conclusions. This was strange.

Secondly, although the autopsy report confirmed that Dacera had injuries on her body, the police couldn’t determine how those injuries were caused. Additionally, surveillance footage from the hotel showed that Dacera had been acting freely and comfortably in rooms 2207 and 2209, with no signs of coercion.

At 11:38 PM on December 31, Dacera was seen holding a glass of wine, chasing two men from room 2207 to room 2209. During that time, she called her mother and said that she was having a great New Year's Eve at the hotel.

At 2:50 AM, Dacera was seen holding hands with a man, looking happy as they left room 2209.

At 2:52 AM, the man escorted Dacera to the door of room 2209. They rang the doorbell and knocked, while Dacera kissed the man, who appeared uncomfortable with the kiss but still tried to press the doorbell. The man was identified as Guzman, one of her three friends.

At 4:13 AM, Dacera appeared drunk and stiff, and a man carried her back to room 2209.

At 6:23 AM, the camera captured the image of Guzman carrying Dacera back to room 2209.

Apart from the footage, a photo was also taken by one of Dacera’s friends before she passed away. The image showed Dacera sitting in front of a toilet, drunk, with her hands making a peace sign.

After the surveillance video was released, many people felt that Dacera's friends seemed trustworthy. They were shown to be caring for her, taking her back to her room, and showing no signs of wrongdoing.

Based on these findings, the police released the three suspects and changed their stance, stating that the samples collected from the scene might have been contaminated during the embalming process before the autopsy.

Dacera’s death was determined to be from natural causes, unrelated to the 11 men. The developments shocked many Filipinos. After hearing the police's conclusion, they learned that the suspects were all innocent and had no involvement in the crime. It was truly absurd.

Suspicion

After the information was released, many people began to criticize the inefficiency of the police. Some even suspected that the police and the 11 suspects were colluding with each other. All the suspects came from wealthy families, and many believed their families used money and influence to pressure the police.

The public then pressured the police and government to conduct a thorough investigation, promising that any corruption would not be tolerated. With so many injuries on Dacera’s body, her family believed that their daughter had been drugged and abused.

Although Dacera had been buried, her mother expressed that she was willing to exhume her daughter's body for further examination if necessary.

Dacera’s family also accused the police and medical examiners of misconduct. The death certificate clearly indicated that her body had been embalmed, which contradicted the findings. They believed the police had been sloppy, so they filed a lawsuit. Dacera’s mother even called on the President of the Philippines to seek justice for her daughter.

On January 27, 2021, after a long investigation, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation held a second autopsy and released the final forensic report. The report revealed that Dacera's heart weighed 500 grams, while a normal person's heart is only about 300 grams. Additionally, signs of internal bleeding were found in her kidneys, and the cause of death was confirmed to be an aortic aneurysm, excluding homicide. The report suggested that she may have been intoxicated and overexerted, leading to high blood pressure, which caused her condition. The police also found some white powder in the hotel room, but upon inspection, it was determined to be mold, not illegal substances. They also tested the 11 suspects, and there were no abnormalities or illegal drugs found in Dacera’s body. Only traces of medication for high blood pressure were detected. The police also could not determine how the bruises on her body were caused.

However, her three friends said the bruises could have occurred because they bumped into each other while drunk. Also, when they took her to the hospital, the hotel provided a wheelchair, so she may have been scratched during transportation.

On April 23, 2021, the police released a 19-page report stating that the evidence provided was insufficient to prove this was a murder case. Dacera’s friends performed CPR and immediately sought help from the hotel when she was found. They had no motive to commit a crime.

Finally, the police officially dismissed the charges against the 11 suspects due to lack of evidence, and the case was closed.

Follow-up

Although the case was officially closed, public opinion didn’t cease. Dacera’s family continued to accuse the 11 men of the crime and filing false accusations. Five of the 11 suspects also filed a counterclaim against Dacera’s family for defamation and slander on social media.

On February 7, 2022, more than a year after Dacera’s death, the police dismissed all complaints and accusations related to her death. They also indirectly informed the public that the case was over and to stop wasting time and energy.

The reason for the case’s dramatic turn was due to the actions of the case’s handler, Depositar, who immediately made an arbitrary statement without a full investigation. He declared that it was a murder, with the 11 men being the perpetrators, which was clearly irresponsible. Furthermore, the autopsy report provided by medical examiner Michael was not thorough or accurate enough.

As a result, both individuals were dismissed from their positions. Additionally, the case occurred during the pandemic, and the original policy stated that each hotel room could only accommodate two people. However, City Garden hotel allowed the group to party, leading to a six-month suspension and a fine of 10,000 pesos.

It’s worth noting that most people criticized Dacera for her lifestyle. While she may have enjoyed partying, it doesn’t mean she deserved to die. This can serve as a cautionary tale for others. It’s important not to blame the victim or suggest that anyone who doesn’t value themselves deserves to die.

What do you think? Stay peaceful, and good things will come our way.

That’s the end of today’s story. See you in the next stories.

Goodbye!