The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has taken custody of the mother who gave birth yesterday to a premature baby boy inside the agency’s Record Section comfort room.

The mother is now in a hospital so she can be given continued medical intervention, after which she will be taken to a DSWD-run center for appropriate psychological assistance and other services.

DSWD personnel found the newborn baby boy in one of the toilets of the Record Section at the Central Office in Batasan, Quezon City. Upon seeing the baby, the staff immediately brought  him  to the DSWD resident doctor who subsequently took the baby to a government hospital for immediate medical care.

Unfortunately, the baby was not able to survive and died early last night.

Currently, the DSWD-National Capital Region (NCR) is facilitating the burial of the baby. It is also closely monitoring the condition of the mother in the hospital prior to her eventual admission to the DSWD center.

DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel A. Leyco said that everyone in the Department is expressing great sadness for the death of the baby as the employees were all praying that he will survive the ordeal.

“We were all praying for the baby and hoping for his immediate recovery from his traumatic birth. Sadly, he did not survive and all feel a sense of loss,” he said.

The DSWD also appealed to the media for understanding as the Department is still at the stage of getting all pertinent information about the matter, including the circumstances of the mother.

Since the mother is now a client of the DSWD, the Department is not at liberty to disclose her identity and other private information based on the Code of Ethics of Social Workers.

 OIC Leyco personally requested that the rights of the mother to privacy be respected, as well as those of the baby. #