Umalma si Gregorio de Guzman sa "below-the-belt" comment ni Sharon Dacera, ang ina ng pumanaw na flight attendant na si Christine Dacera.
Si Gregorio, o may palayaw na Gigo, ay anak ng yumaong singer na si Claire dela Fuente.
Isa siya sa 11 kataong nakasama ni Christine sa hotel party sa Makati City ilang oras bago binawian ng buhay ang dalaga dahil sa ruptured aortic aneurysm noong January 1, 2021.
Kasabay ng pagpapatunay na inosente ang kanilang grupo, binalikan ni Gigo si Sharon sa patutsada nito tungkol sa mga pumanaw na mahal sa buhay ng respondents.
May Facebook post kasi si Sharon noong January 2022 kunsaan naniniwala siyang dapat managot ang mga naka-party ni Christine sa pagpanaw ng dalaga.
Kasunod na post ni Sharon (published as is): "Those who are related and directly connected to our case who passed away too this year of 2021 were Claire, Father of Valentine, Atty. Mike Santiago, and one of the pnp detective of makati Pnp Cpl. Lopez who is investigating our case this is all base according to reporrts for so many questions and reasons, really only GOD KNOWS WHATS THE REAL PURPOSE THEN."
Ang tinukoy na "Claire" ay ang ina ni Gigo na si Claire dela Fuente, na pumanaw dahil sa cardiac arrest habang naka-confine sa ospital dala ng COVID-19.
Ang tinukoy na "Father of Valentine" ay ama ni Valentine Rosales na si Joseph Chen na pumanaw matapos atakehin ng stroke.
Isa sa abugado ng grupo nina Gigo at Valentine si Atty. Mike Santiago, habang si Corporal Louie Lopez ang investigating officer na isa sa mga kinuwestiyon ng kampo ng respondents.
Hindi nagustuhan ni Gigo ang tono ni Sharon nang iugnay nito ang pagpanaw nina Claire, Joseph, at Atty. Santiago sa Christine Dacera case.
Nag-tweet si Gigo tungkol sa isyu, at isa ito sa mga tinanong ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) nang makausap siya via Zoom call, nitong Lunes, February 7, 2022.
"Yeah, I got mad," diretsong pag-amin ni Gigo.
Binura na ni Gigo ang kanyang social media post, pero ipinaliwanag niya sa PEP.ph na hindi tama ang pinapalabas ni Sharon na kinarma umano ang grupo nilang respondents sa Christine Dacera case.
"Yes, my mother died, the father of Valentine died, one of our lawyers died, as well as Colonel Lopez, who was the investigator in the case on their side, passed away.
"And there was a hinting of it being karma. I had to say that's just so rude. I don't know the word for it... [It was] just low.
"If she wasn't informed, we're in a pandemic. Thousands of people are dying. People die every day," sabi ni Gigo.
Diin pa ng anak ni Claire dela Fuente: "Death is not karma.
"It should never be used to appease you in what you believe. I would never wish her death.
"So, that's on her. It just shows what type of a person she is."
GIGO SAYS NO JUSTICE IN "POOR HANDLING" OF CASE
Higit isang taon na ang lumipas mula nang bansagang "rape-slay case" ng Philippine National Police (PNP) ang pagkamatay ni Christine.
Pero noong April 2021, lumabas sa prosecutors' level pa lamang—ibig sabihin ay hindi sapat ang findings upang iakyat ang kaso sa isang judge—na hindi totoo ang bintang.
Ibasura ng piskalya ang reklamong rape with homicide laban sa 11 companions ni Christine.
Ang mga pinangalanan ng pulisya na mga kasama ni Christine ay sina Gregorio de Guzman, Valentine Rosales, Clark Jezreel Rapinan, John Paul dela Serna, at Rommel Galido.
Kasama rin sina Mark Anthony Rosales, Rey Englis, Jammyr Cunanan, Louie de Lima, isang may alias na Ed Madrid, at may isang alyas Paul.
Obstruction of justice ang isa pang reklamong kinaharap ni Gigo dahil sa diumano'y pagsisinungaling niya sa isang bagay na may kinalaman sa insidente.
Naabsuwelto siya rito.
February 7, 2022, inanunsiyo ng Department of Justice na tuluyang ibinasura ng Makati Prosecutor's Office ang lahat ng mga natitirang reklamo laban sa grupo ni Gigo.
Kabilang nga rito ang obstruction of justice, administering of illegal drugs, at perjury.
Ibinasura rin ng piskalya ang patung-patong na reklamong isinampa ng grupo ni Gigo laban kay Sharon Dacera, kabilang na sinabi nilang pagyurak sa kanilang reputasyon.
Ibinasura rin ang reklamong illegal detention, arbitrary detention, at unlawful arrest laban kay Sharon, kaibigan nitong doktor na si Marichi Ramos, pinsang si Katherine Anne Faceo, at dalawa pang pulis.
Kaugnay ito ng pagditena kina Rommel Galido, JP dela Serna, at John Paul Halili sa presinto ng Makati City nang walang warrant of arrest ang pulisya.
Read: Rommel Galido, JP dela Serna speak about meeting Sharon Dacera, "mental torture" in police detention
Aminadong dismayado si Gigo dahil hindi nakamit ng kanyang grupo ang "full justice" na nais nila.
Paano na lang daw ang "trauma" na idinulot ng pagdawit sa kanila sa kontrobersiya?
Himutok ni Gigo (published as spoken): "I'll be completely honest. I don't think there is full justice in this situation because there was a malicious intent—but not on our end.
"There was a poor handling on their side that ruined our lives, that ruined my life
"And now the case that we filed against them were simply dismissed, simply because according to the report, it was done based on the evidences presented to them.
"And I would ask, what evidences? They rushed into judgment even before the evidences came out.
"And the justice—the half justice—is that it finally got dismissed, but the damage is already done."
Dismayado si Gigo dahil walang pinanagot sa anya'y kawalan ng due process sa dinaanang kalbaryo ng 11 respondents sa Christine Dacera case.
"The justice is not the case being dismissed. The justice, for me at least, is getting the people responsible for poorly handling this entire case.
"Because we are innocent. We did everything that we could to protect our innocence against people who weren't doing their proper jobs or [were just] riding in the coattails of fame.
"And that's not justice. Their cases got dismissed as well as ours."
REMEMBERING THE "BOUNTY" ON THEIR HEADS
Lubhang apektado si Gigo dahil hindi raw makatarungan na noong kasagsagan ng isyu sa pagkamatay ni Christine, hindi muna tinapos ang imbestigasyon nang tugisin silang respondents ng pulisya.
Wala pa mang warrant of arrest at di pa lumalabas ang autopsy report sa dahilan ng pagkamatay ni Christine, nabansagan na si Gigo at mga kagrupo na may sala.
Nalagay pa raw sa alanganin ang buhay nila nang magpataw ng "bounty" o reward money si Senator Manny Pacquiao para sa mga makakadala sa kanila sa pulisya.
"Our lives were literally endangered. Some of my friends were being chased by cars.
"I don't know if this was released in the media, but two of my friends were chased down by a bunch of cars when the bounty was released.
"Those bounties were released by politicians who had no right to give them because there was no warrant of arrest nor was there an autopsy report that was given yet.
"And yet our lives were endangered. Police were going here in our house, we received death threats...
"The psychological implication of what happened is not something you just dismiss as if, 'Oh it was a mistake.'"
DISCOVERING CHRISTINE DACERA'S MEDICAL CONDITION
Malinaw pa sa alaala ni Gigo na noong New Year's Eve na magkakasama ang grupo nila ni Christine sa hotel ay nagkakasiyahan lang sila.
Wala raw may gustong may mangyaring masama kay Christine, lalo pa't walang nakakaalam sa kanila na mayroon itong medical condition na hypertension.
Ito raw ang lumabas sa imbestigasyon na nag-trigger ng ruptured aortic aneurysm ng dalaga.
Ayon kay Gigo: "What happened was, I don't know if the word is accident or it was her time, really.
"But an aneurysm, according to a doctor, is a time bomb. It can go off anytime.
"We weren't even aware that she had hypertension. And the evidence of the NBI revealed that she was already taking hypertension medicine for months.
"If we knew, we would have probably treated her differently, but she never disclosed it to us."
Lima silang natira sa hotel room nang matagpuang walang buhay si Christine sa loob ng bathroom.
Sila ang tinaguriang "Top 5 Boys": Gigo, John Paul dela Serna, Rommel Galido, Valentine Rosales, at Clark Rapinan.
Ayon pa rin kay Gigo, sinikap nilang gawaran ng first aid si Christine hanggang sa madala ito sa kalapit na ospital.
"We were simply having fun and it just happened—an instance that changed our lives even though we don't have a hand in it.
"We tried our best to do the right thing by trying to save her, thinking that she simply passed out.
"But no, you don't save someone from aneurysm. It's automatic death."
Pero sumabog daw ang insidente dahil sa mga maling espekulasyon sa nangyari kay Christine.
"They didn't trust the process... But at the end of the day, it was an incident that was unfortunate and it was handled poorly, and the damage has been done."
Read: What we know about Christine Dacera's death and the many questions about the police probe
GIGO IN TEARS WHILE SAYING "SORRY, MA..."
Hindi naman napigilan ni Gigo ang dire-diretsong pagluha nang tanungin kung ano ang mensahe nito sa inang si Claire dela Fuente.
Hindi lingid sa publiko na kasama ni Gigo si Claire na matapang na humarap sa media noong unang bugso ng kontrobersiya.
Si Gigo ang unang humarap sa media noong isa-isa pa lang tinutukoy ang mga nakasama ni Christine sa party.
Inamin noon ni Gigo na napilitan siyang aminin sa publiko na siya ay gay, kahit na ang sexual orientation niya ay isyu sa kanilang mag-ina noon.
Pero hindi iyon naging hadlang para ipaglaban ni Claire ang anak, pati ang ibang respondents na dawit sa reklamo ng pamilya Dacera.
Hanggang sa pumanaw si Claire noong March 2021 dahil sa COVID-19.
"It's still hard, e. I still get emotional talking about my mom," sabi ni Gigo sa PEP.ph.
Sabay napaiyak na sabi niya, "Honestly, I would say na, 'Sorry, Ma. I couldn't get you the justice you deserved.
"Sorry there are a lot of bad people out there. Sorry you have to protect me from them. Sorry your story had to end this way.
"I wish I could protect you. I wish I could fight for you pa."
Sa tingin ni Gigo, kung buhay si Claire ay ikalulungkot din nito ang tinatawag niyang kawalan ng hustisya sa "poor handling" ng imbestigasyon sa Christine Dacera case.
Pero naniniwala rin siyang hindi gusto ng ina niyang malugmok siya sa poot at kalungkutan.
"But I know, if you were alive, you would tell me to just move on and find happiness na lang.
"Kahit mahirap in times of justice, you just have to. That's part of growing up.
"She's been through so much injustice in her life. I just wish that I could have gotten her more, especially through this."
Ipinapasa-Diyos na lang daw ni Gigo ang lahat.
"But, I guess, we'll just have to see where He will take this and what He will send in return," dagdag niya.
STRONGER BECAUSE OF THE ORDEAL
Na-diagnose si Gigo ng symptoms of depression at anxiety, at kasalukuyan pa ring under medication.
Pinagtatagumpayan daw niya ito dahil pinipili niyang maniwalang pinagtibay siya ng kalbaryong dinaanan.
"Starting out this journey, I regret it being a person with a big heart, willing to help everybody, fighting for justice.
"And then I realized towards the end that that's what my mom, my parents want me to be.
"Even though collateral damage, may kailangang mawala, kailangan may panindigan pa rin, e.
"So, I guess, I don't regret anything anymore.
"Yun lang, parang na-realize ko rin how tough and strong I can be, whether to fight for justice or to let go of a justice, so that better things can come."