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‘Gulf Air’ baby in stable condition; 2 more abandoned infants found


A trail of blood drops looms as a key lead for investigators who are tracking down the mother of a newborn baby boy who was found inside a trash bin of a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain Sunday. According to a report in dzRH radio Monday, investigators had noticed a trail of blood from one of the seats of Gulf Air GF-154, which arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) before noon Sunday, to the lavatory. A report in GMA News’ “24 Oras" said authorities already have an idea on who the baby’s mother is. Meanwhile, a day after this discovery in an airport trash bin, two more infants — one in Blumentritt in Manila and one in San Carlos City in Pangasinan — were also found abandoned, according to “24 Oras." The baby girl found in Blumentritt, also a newborn, was found inside a trashcan. She was brought to the Chinese General Hospital where she is now in stable condition. On the other hand, the baby boy found in Pangasinan was said to be the son of a mentally challenged homeless woman. Residents brought him to a nearby hospital after finding him in a spot full of ants. Based on DSWD data, 986 babies were abandoned from January 2008 to February 2009. Extreme poverty is the most common reason why parents abandon infants.


“George Francis" The infant found at NAIA, named George Francis by airport personnel after the flight code of GF-154, was found wrapped in tissue and with the umbilical cord still partly attached. He has black hair, a brown complexion, and weighing around three kilograms. He was given the temporary surname of Dimaano, after the person who found him, Tristant Dimaano, head of the NAIA cleaning crew. “Kung wala tayong birth record ng bata, hindi natin ma-identify who are the parents, lalabas po kasi yun na foundling child siya. So for identity purposes, bigay muna natin for the meantime, yung name ng finder," said Teresita Valentino, social worker from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). (If the baby has no birth record, and we can’t identify who the parents are, then the baby would be a foundling child. So for identity purposes, for the meantime, we give the child the name of the one who found him or her.) The “24 Oras" report said some individuals have approached the DSWD to express their interest in adopting George Francis, but the agency turned them down. Before a baby can be put up for adoption, a court must first declare him or her legally abandoned, which is only possible three months after the infant’s existence is publicized in the media, especially on television and radio. Criminal act A parent or parents found to have intentionally abandoned a child can be criminally charged with abandonment of a minor, according to the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO). Under Article 276 of the Revised Penal Code, such a crime is punishable by up to six months imprisonment. Valentino appealed to parents to resort to legal means if they think they can not take care of a child because of extreme poverty. “If you think na hindi ninyo kayang alagaan ang mga anak ninyo, marami po tayong ahensiya ng gobyerno and the non-government organizations na pwede niyo pong mapuntahan," she said. (If you think you cannot take care of your child, we have government agencies and non-government organizations where you can go to.) - Larissa Mae Suarez/KBK, GMANews.TV
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