‘Pagod na ’yung katawan ko’: Respondent in Dacera case says cops forced him to lie

One of the respondents in the case involving the death of Christine Dacera said on Wednesday that he was “forced” by police into lying and accusing a certain individual of spiking the flight attendant’s drink during their New Year’s Eve party.

Rommel Galido earlier said Dacera informed him during the celebration that a certain Mark Anthony Rosales put something in her drink that made her feel unwell. 

At a press conference held by the respondents, however, Galido said he was “forced” by police into naming Rosales. 

“Fino-force kami na dapat magsabi, magturo kami ng someone kapalit ng kalayaan namin. Siyempre, wala akong alam kung anong dapat gawin. Gulong-gulo ‘yung isip ko,” he recalled.

“Any options i-grab [ko] para matapos na ‘to kasi ayaw ko na, pagod na pagod na ‘yung katawan ko. Sabi ko do’n, si Mark. Si Mark ‘yung nasabi ko which is hindi naman dapat talaga kasi wala namang sinabi si Christine na Mark. Pero ‘yun ‘yung parang pinipilit.”

Earlier in the day, JP Dela Serna III, another respondent in the case, retracted his previous statement identifying Rosales as the individual who brought party drugs to their celebration. 

Dela Serna’s lawyer said his client had been “pressured” by Makati police to say that. 

“Not only that they were pressured, they were intimidated, they were manipulated. Words were put into their mouths. They were subjected to psychological warfare because they lacked sleep, they were under duress,” lawyer Mike Santiago said.

Dacera was found in the bathtub of a Makati hotel on January 1, a day after she checked in with friends to ring in the new year.

Three people tagged in her death, including Dela Serna, were arrested but later released on the orders of the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office, who said “the pieces of evidence so far submitted are insufficient to establish that she was sexually assaulted or raped.” — BM, GMA News