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Who was Christine Angelica Dacera? 3 of 11 men charged for flight attendant's rape and murder were 'friends'

Christine Angelica Dacera's mother, Sharon, said she allowed her daughter to attend a New Year’s Eve celebration with friends and colleagues because she trusted them

Police have charged 11 men with rape and murder of Christine Angelica Dacera, 23, a flight attendant, who was found unconscious in an empty bathtub of a Makati hotel room in Philippines, where she and her friends were celebrating New Year's Eve. The Philippine Airlines attendant was later declared dead after being taken to hospital with "lacerations and sperm in her genitalia". There were scratches all over her arms and legs and bruises all over her body.

Makati City Police chief Colonel Harold Depositar disclosed that 11 men had been charged as they had been with Christine at the time of her death. Three of the accused have been arrested but eight remain at large. The charges are provisional as authorities are waiting for the autopsy and toxicology reports.

Out of the 11 charged, "only three of them were Dacera’s friends. The others were practically strangers to her... they were only known to her three friends," Depositar noted. #JusticeForChristineDacera #ProtectDrunkGirls trended in the US because the case highlights the all-pervasive, global problem of 'rape culture'. Drunk, high, or inebriated girls are especially seen as 'asking for rape'. 

Dacera, who had a sizeable following on social media, wrote in one of her last Instagram posts: "Will only be manifesting and accepting good energy from here on out", dressed in her flight attendant clothes with a gorgeous sunset behind her. Dacera’s mother, Sharon, speaking to a local news channel, said she allowed her daughter to attend the New Year’s Eve celebration with friends and colleagues because she trusted them. The victim even called her family past 12 am on January 1. Twelve hours later, the family was informed by Christine’s friend, who was also in the hotel with her, that she had died.

Dacera's rape and murder highlights how acts of rape, domestic violence, and abuse are often planned or perpetrated by close friends or family members of the victim. These issues are high in the national consciousness in the US right now because of the film 'Promising Young Woman', starring Carey Mulligan, which makes no excuses for modern-day "rape culture" that keeps trying to pin the blame for rape on women rather than the perpetrators.

"SPREAD THEIR NAMES. SPREAD THEIR UGLY FACE. The cause of rape will always be the rapist and NOTHING ELSE. Victims should never be blamed because of the sick decisions and behaviors of men," said one tweet, while another said: "NO ONE CAN BE TRUSTED. May your soul Christine Angelica Dacera Rest in Peace"

In another post, a user said: "Don't trust your friends too much especially boys," and added, "Stop victim blaming because she's drunk, or wearing skirts. Spread their names!", while another posted a TikTok video (uploaded by Dacera and her friends) with the caption: "The night before the murder." The video shows Dacera and her friends doing the chicken dance in one line and having fun. Other tweets also posted pictures of the group on New Year's Eve bash, identifying the colleagues who were with her at the time. The pictures show how 'normal' the group of friends looked with no indication of the tragedy that was to follow. 

Police are yet to confirm whether something was put in the Dacera’s drink. CCTV footage also showed Christine and one guy transferring to a different hotel room. It was not until the following morning that the victim was carried back to her original room.