Baby drowns in pail of water

CEBU, Philippines - A baby aged 1 year and 11 months drowned in a pail of water at the comfort room of their house in Barangay Basdiot, Moalboal Thursday afternoon.

Trisibbell Monor was believed to be unconscious for several minutes after she was found by her stepbrother, Rudy Raf Vroon, who was about to use the comfort room at around 4:00 in the afternoon.

The family rushed Monor to the Moalboal Municipal Center and later transferred her to Badian District Hospital where she was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.

Prior to the incident, Monor was sleeping with her baby sitter, 22-year-old Sally Fuentes, and the sister of the victim’s stepmother, Ruffa Vroon, at the living room.

PO2 Stewart B. Bayang, investigator, said Fuentes did not notice that Monor woke up and directly went to the comfort room and played with water.

It was around 4:00p.m. when Rudy Raf found Moron upside down in a pail of water which prompted him to call for help.

Bayang said Moron was adopted by Vroon family because the mother was reportedly suffering from epilepsy and could not take care of the baby.

“One month pa na adtong gipa-adopt unya kana si Ruffa ninang man pud na anang bataa,” Bayang said in a phone interview. (The baby was still one month old when adopted.)

Bayang advised the family to subject Moron for autopsy if they have doubts on her death but the family refused and decided to bury the victim yesterday at the public cemetery.

Fuentes will be facing a complaint for violation of RA 7610 or the law protecting children against abuse, exploitation and discrimination.

“Ako na tong giingnan nga naay negligence sa iyang part ug naay moreklamo ma-filan gyud namo siya ug kaso,” Bayang said. (We told her there was negligence on her part so if someone will stand up as complainant, we will really pursue charges against her.)-  /JPM (FREEMAN)