Barking dog saves child

CEBU, Philippines - If  not for a dog, a prematurely delivered baby boy would have died after he was left in a creek in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City yesterday morning.

Authorities said the baby was but seven months in his mother’s womb when he was delivered yesterday morning. The mother, 18 years old, seemed to have wanted to get rid of the child but her plan failed.

A resident in the area told TV5 Aksyon Bisaya that she was trying to drive a dog away because the dog’s incessant barking was getting to be irritating. She thought initially that the dog was trying to bark a cat away.

“Nagtuo ko nga iring iyang kontra kay diha may iring sa duol maong gibugaw napud nako,” she said.

As she was doing so, she realized that it was a baby on the ground the dog was barking at. She then called on her neighbors for help and one of them said jokingly that all female boarders of the boarding houses nearby should be checked.

To the surprise of many, it was at this point that the child’s mother ran away. A brief chase ensued and barangay personnel eventually caught up with the woman. They saw that the woman still had blood stains on her legs.

A certain Leodivy said the woman had bought food from hear eatery many times and that she even confronted her even before the incident.

“Akong giingnan nga dili na mahimo ang imong gibuhat kay mulayas man gyud unta kuno siya human niya ug labay sa bata,” she told dyLA.

Senior Police Officer 3 Alexander Galleon of the Punta Princesa Police Station said their Women and Children’s Desk officer is now investigating the case to determine what charges can be filed against the mother.

Both the mother and the child are being tended to at the Cebu City Medical Center. When the right time comes, the baby will reportedly be turned over to the Department of  Social Welfare and Development. —/JMO (FREEMAN)