Baby found dead in front of UP Parish

By Rima Granali


A baby was found lifeless at the entrance gate of the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice on September 24.

Jessie Santos, 37, a street sweeper found the baby inside a box at about 7a.m. that day while cleaning the area. “Akala ko basura pero mabigat parang may laman.”

When Santos looked into the box, he saw a baby boy. “Hindi na fetus, baby. Malaki at may buhok na,” he said.

Santos said he was nervous and scared and immediately reported it to the security guard of the UP Parish.

The security guard said the baby was probably left at midnight or early morning because the box was wet. It was raining the night before.

“Parang kamamatay lang, di pa nilalangaw,” Santos said.

Roberto Alveno, a sacristan, said the parents might not have the money to sustain the child or give him a decent burial so they left him in the church to be blessed by the priest.

Fr. Jessel Gerard Gonzales, SJ, blessed the baby before the Quezon City Police District took it for investigation.

Sanctuary

Gonzales said the baby was probably left inside the church premises to lessen the guilt of abandonment. People believe “makakaintindi naman ang Diyos,” he said.

Even centuries ago, abandoned babies were usually left in the church, Gonzales said, and cited the Hunchback of Notre Dame as an example.

“The church has always been a sanctuary. When we feel very abandoned, God is always there,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales said he feels sad because this is not an “isolated event.” A number of babies have been left in the church. One of the most recent was the baby that a church caretaker found near the coconut tree.

In August, two residents of Village A found a 6-month old fetus while walking along the UP lagoon.

Gonzales said that many of the babies aborted come from students within the community.

Pervading culture

Sex is a pervading culture especially among the youth, Gonzales said. Intercourse seems to be the “ultimate goal of every relationship,” he added.

“I am not against sex but sana responsible,” Gonzales said.

Mothers and fathers are not willing to take the responsibility of their actions which shows immaturity, he said.

“In 2000, an estimated 78,900 women were hospitalized for post-abortion care, 473,400 women had abortions and the abortion rate was 27 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 per year,” according to the Incidence of Induced Abortion in the Philippines: Current Levels and Trends by Fatima Juarez, Josefina Cabigon, Susheela Singh and Rubina Hussein from the September 2005 issue of the International Family Planning Perspectives.

Gonzales said, “Abortion is murder, a very serious crime committed to another person, a child who doesn’t have the power to defend himself.”

The baby was brought to Prudential Funeral Homes. The police still have no lead about the whereabouts of those who left the baby.