Newborn baby boy found abandoned in Bacolod City

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Authorities are looking for the parents of a newborn baby boy who was abandoned and later found by a resident in Barangay Cabug late Saturday night.

Police Staff Sgt. Charmie Jimenez, investigator of the Women and Children’s Protection Desk of Police Station 9, said a resident heard a baby’s cry and when he checked where the noise was coming from, he saw the infant lying face down on the ground at the back of their house, with the umbilical cord still attached.

He immediately brought the baby to a hospital and reported the incident to the barangay.

Jimenez said the baby is now stable and is currently at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.

The infant will be turned over by the barangay to the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Under Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, abandoning a child is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment. The law mandates the state to provide protection and assistance to abandoned, neglected, and abused children.

She said that nobody noticed someone leaving the baby in the area.

Despite the difficulty in identifying the person who abandoned the infant and his parents, Jimenez said they will continue to investigate the incident.

The barangay is calling for the child’s parents to come forward to learn about the situation of the baby.