Student dies from abortion; midwife, aide arrested

MANILA, Philippines - An 88-year-old midwife and her aide were arrested Friday night in Caloocan City when an 18-year-old student died two days after reportedly going to them for an abortion.

Chief Inspector Rodrigo Soriano, Caloocan City police investigation chief, said Catalina Garcia Jose and her aide, Rosalinda Dimaculangan, 56, were apprehended at Jose’s house in Bagong Silang when they were about to perform an abortion on a policewoman who posed as a patient.

Police officers confiscated syringes, a bedpan, a steel tray, a bottle of alcohol, a pair of stainless steel tongs, a roll of tissue paper, and P500 marked money.

Police Officer 3 Eduardo Ronquillo told The STAR that on March 27, the student, who was four months pregnant, “paid P4,000 for the suspects’ services and the operation was a success.”

However, the girl hemorrhaged. She told her parents what she did, and they brought her to a hospital. She died at around 5 p.m. on March 29, Ronquillo said.

The girl’s relatives sought the help of Caloocan City police chief Senior Superintendent Jude Santos.

A policewoman who pretended to be a month pregnant, accompanied by a policeman posing as her boyfriend, went to Jose’s house in Barangay 176 Friday night.

“The suspects asked P2,000 for their service and while the suspects were about to perform the operation our agents arrested them,” Ronquillo said.

Jose denied being an abortionist. “I am a licensed hilot and have been doing it for more than 50 years, but I never performed abortions,” she said.

Dimaculangan said she was in Jose’s house because she is her niece and she helps her with the laundry.

Jose said the medical instruments seized by the police belonged to a tenant, a doctor who died a few years ago in a sea mishap.

“I am just waiting for my lawyer so that I could properly answer the accusations,” Jose said.

Police are set to charge the two women with intentional abortion, Ronquillo said, adding that the victim’s parents could also file additional charges for the death of their daughter.