Authorities now search for a mother who dumped her newborn baby under a mangrove tree near a sea in Brgy. Bonot in Calabanga town, Camarines Sur.
The baby, however, miraculously survived and is now being treated at the hospital. The residents who found the newborn named her “Angela Mirah.”
Police are still investigating the identity of the mother or suspect who may have thrown her child.
According to the report, around 4 pm, some children who were catching birds using their slings heard the sounds of a baby crying and screaming from the mangrove area.
They immediately searched and found the baby lying flat on the stomach with her umbilical cord and placenta still attached. There they saw the baby’s miserable condition wherein ants have bitten the baby’s face and body.
The children sought help, and the town rescuers responded. They brought the newborn baby found under the mangrove tree at the Rural Health Unit of Calabanga for first aid and then rushed her to Bicol Medical Center in Naga City.
Abortion is criminalized by Philippine law. Articles 256, 258, and 259 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines mandate imprisonment for women who undergo an abortion, as well as for any person who assists in the procedure. Article 258 further imposes a higher prison term on the woman or her parents if the abortion is undertaken “in order to conceal [the woman’s] dishonor.”
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