THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) Davao Region has not yet identified the mother of a three-month-old boy who abandoned the baby with a woman she just met at the Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) last Friday, November 25, 2016.
The mother is said to be from Maco, Compostela Valley, but this information, too, still cannot be verified.
Speaking yesterday during the weekly press conference at SM City Davao Owwa Davao Regional Director Eduardo E. Bellido said they checked their records as soon as they got word about one Vilma Lastima who was said to have arrived from Jordan, but left her baby with a person she had just befriended. But the name did not appear in their records.
“We verified it with our family welfare officer assigned in ComVal including our Organization of Family Circles (OFC). They cannot identify kung sino itong babaeng ito because even the records of the municipality allegedly, there is no such name doon sa kanilang listahan,” he said.
Bellido said Lastima left the baby, feeding bottle, a few diapers, and her travel documents to one Myrna Buenaobra whom she had just befriended at the airport after arriving from Amman, Jordan on board an Etihad flight.
When Buenaobra realized that the woman was not coming back for the baby, she reported to the airport authorities who in turn called the Department of Social Welfare and Development to care for the infant.
The Owwa chief said the OFW possibly left the country using a tourist or regular visa which makes them usually vulnerable if they work as household service worker.
“We do not want to cast judgment on the lady because it might be na naabuso ito. We still do not know the true identity of the OFW who left the baby,” he said.
He added that they have already coordinated with their office in Jordan. But they have been informed that there is no Vilma Lastima registered there as well.