NBI finds mother of plane baby
MANILA, Philippines - A woman from Luzon believed to be the mother of George Francis, the infant abandoned in the lavatory bin of a Gulf Air plane, is now in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The woman arrived in Manila at 5:30 p.m. yesterday on AirPhil Express flight 2P019 escorted by NBI agents.
NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula said the woman’s identity would be withheld for her protection.
“We are gender sensitive. We cannot identify her nor give any description,” said Gatdula. “Once her identity is known, her husband might kill her. We do not know what the circumstances are.”
Gatdula said the woman might be charged with abandonment, in violation of Republic Act 7610, the law against child abuse.
He said another woman, possible a sister or a cousin, accompanied the suspected mother to NBI headquarters in Manila.
Gatdula also said that the woman does not want to talk and appears “detached.”
“We do not want to force her to talk. We do not know if she was raped, or she had an affair. We do not know. We still have to check with her,” he said.
Gatdula clarified that the woman was not arrested, only invited for questioning.
“There was no arrest warrant. She was surprised how she was found. She was found in her barrio, at her address,” he said.
The woman was supposedly the 80th passenger to check in for the flight to Manila from Bahrain.
The NBI said the woman wrote down her name, date of birth and passport number in the immigration arrival card but did not fill out the address portion to avoid being traced.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it would subject the alleged mother of George Francis to psychological counseling.
“We will conduct assessment, evaluation to determine the reasons of the mother for abandoning her child,” said Thelsa Biloena, DSWD National Capital Region Director. “Maybe she has compelling reasons why she left him. The mother needs psychosocial intervention.”
Many Filipino families have expressed intention of adopting George Francis but Biloena said they would also look for relatives of the baby who are willing to take care of him.
“Adoption is our last resort,” she said.
Rep. Lani Mercado Revilla said the supposed mother of George Francis should be given medical attention and understanding.
Fetuses found in churches in Manila
A dead prematurely delivered baby and a fetus were found in two churches in Manila last Tuesday.
Churchgoers discovered inside the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros at around 5 p.m. a male fetus wrapped in a green plastic bag.
PO3 Jay Santos of the Manila Police District (MPD) homicide section said the fetus appeared to have been six to seven months old.
An hour later, another male fetus believed to be seven months old was found inside the Quiapo Church in Manila. The fetus was wrapped in striped cloth, placed inside a box and wrapped in a black plastic bag.
A certain “Joanna” came to the MPD headquarters yesterday claiming she left the fetus inside the Quiapo church to have it blessed by the parish priest before burying it.
She told police the baby was delivered prematurely by her brother’s girlfriend in a hospital in Pasay City. Her brother could not afford to pay the funeral expenses of P1,300 so she brought the fetus to the church.
The fetuses were brought to St. Ivan funeral parlor for safekeeping.
The MPD homicide division is tracing the people responsible for aborting the babies. - with Rudy Santos, Artemio Dumlao, Charlie Lagasca, Helen Flores, Amanda Fisher, Nestor Etolle
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