Authorities are still in the process of identifying the mother who left her three-month-old baby to a woman she just befriended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Nov. 24.
Ed Bellido, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Region 11 director, said the Family Welfare Officer in Compostela Valley was still ascertaining if Vilma Lastima who was identified as the mother is a resident of Maco municipality.
“The person’s address was identified to be somewhere in Maco but records at the municipal hall do not bear the name of the overseas workers,” he said.
Bellido added that Lastima went out of the country as a tourist and on a regular visa.
“Once a person carries a proper visa but works as a domestic worker, she could have encountered many challenges,” Bellido pointed out.
He added that they could hardly establish the identity of the mother who left the three-month-old-child to a stranger and that the person could have left the country on an irregular status.
Bellido pointed out that Lastima left the child, feeding bottle, a few diapers, and travel documents to a certain Myrna Buenaobra.
“The mother met Buenaobra at NAIA Terminal 1 after arriving from Amman, Jordan on board an Etihad flight,” Bellido said.
He said upon learning that Lastima would no longer come back, Buenaobra immediately reported the incident to the airport authorities who also informed the Department of Social Welfare and Development to ensure the proper care of the baby.
“We also verified with the welfare officer in Jordan, to know if they have this name Vilma Lastima, but it was not found in the list,” Bellido said.
He stressed that persons who leave the country on irregular status to the Middle East are vulnerable to abuses and cannot receive assistance from the government once they encounter problems.
