Post date: Sep 13, 2010 9:14:7 AM
Philippine officials search for the mother of a newborn found baby abandoned inside a trash bin onboard a Gulf Air plane.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (SEPTEMBER 12, 2010) ABS-CBN - Philippine officials started searching on Monday (September 13) for the mother of a newborn baby abandoned inside a plane that arrived in the Manila international airport.
Airport cleaners found the baby boy inside a trash bin in the toilet of a Gulf Air flight that arrived from Bahrain on Sunday (September 12), the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.
"He wasn't crying, he wasn't crying. He was only moving. Look at him," an airport nurse said.
The boy was covered with blood and wrapped in tissue paper when found. Staff said faeces and blood stains were found on two seats in the plane.
An airport medical team cleaned up the newborn, then rushed him to a hospital. He is in good condition, said an official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, who has taken custody of the child.
Radio stations were swamped with calls offering adoption of the baby, but the welfare department said they are giving the mother a chance to come forward.
The boy weighed 3 kilograms, and measured 48 centimetres, a doctor from the Manila airport said.
Airport officials christened the baby boy George Francis, short for GF which refers to Gulf Air's code, local newspaper Daily Tribune reported.
"I'm also a mother, and it's so sad to know that things like this can happen. So I hope the mother can claim her child and be reunited with him, if she still wants to give her baby a chance to see her," said airport doctor Maria Theresa Azores, who attended to the baby boy.
The airline crew did not report the incident to the authorities, Daily Tribune said. The plane was carrying 200 passengers.
MIAA general manager Angel Hongrado said they will conduct an investigation and find out who the baby's mother is, and why he was abandoned.
Immigration authorities said they did not see or notice any female passenger looking sick or in pain, arriving on Sunday.
Airport personnel pooled their money to buy milk, medicines, bottles and baby clothes for George Francis, an MIAA official said.