Iloilo cops who helped homeless woman deliver baby lauded


ILOILO CITY – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar has lauded three cops for helping a homeless woman deliver her baby in Iloilo City.

“Saludo ako sa tatlong pulis na ito na hindi nag atubili tulungan ang babae sa kanyang panganganak (I salute the three police officers who did not show any reluctance by going beyond the call of duty to help a woman give birth),” said Eleazar in a statement released by the PNP.

Last week, the three cops assigned at Jaro Police Station of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) took a 27-year-old woman to the nearest hospital after they found her in labor at Jaro Plaza.

HOMELESS BIRTHING. A volunteer assists a homeless woman, believed to be suffering from mental illness, in giving birth at a makeshift waiting area for people who want to avail massage services of blind masseurs at the Jaro Plaza in Iloilo City. (Jaro PNP/MANILA BULLETIN)

The woman eventually gave birth at a makeshift waiting area for people who want to avail massage services of blind masseurs at the said Plaza.

Patrolmen Rico Yan Inocencio, Vinjie Nebit and Roman Paja stayed with the woman at the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSUMC) and pitched in their own money to buy milk and diapers for the baby.

Police Captain Eduardo Siacon, Jaro police station chief, explained that the woman is believed to be suffering from mental health problems.

“I’ve seen her myself at Jaro Plaza. It was good that our police officers were there at time when she went into labor,” Siacon told Manila Bulletin in an interview.

One of the cops is willing to adopt the baby given the mental health state of the 27-year-old mother.

“If no one will come forward as the father, Patrolman Nebit wants to the adopt the baby,” Siacon pointed out.

TO SERVE AND PROTECT. Three cops assigned at a police station in Jaro district, Iloilo City helped out a homeless woman give birth to her baby. (Jaro PNP/MANILA BULLETIN)