Plight of OFWs reflected in 'Gulf Air' baby

09/19/2010 - A LAWMAKER has asked the Aquino administration and the Catholic Church to address the social costs of sending Filipinos abroad after an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) abandoned her baby in an airplane's trash bin.


Buhay party-list Representative Irwin Tieng said he is alarmed over the increasing rate of OFWs who abort or abandon their babies.


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Earlier this week, a newborn baby was found inside the trash bin of a Gulf Air plane from Bahrain. Named after the plane's initials, George Francis is now with the custody of the Department of Social and Welfare Development.


The alleged mother of the baby has already admitted that she is the parent but the result of a DNA test performed is still being awaited to confirm the claim.
I too condemn the action of the mother, but we should also look into the unfortunate realities behind the problem because the baby's mother may just be a victim of the country's unfortunate state of affairs," said Tieng.


Tieng added it is the duty of the government to look into the harsh realities abroad that drive mothers to abandon their babies.


"It is time for us to evaluate whether the growing number of raped and maltreated OFWs; aborted and abandoned babies; broken families; failed marriages; and children getting into drugs or early pregnancies for lack of parental presence are worth the billions of dollars we earn from the estimated 10 million OFWs working abroad?" he said.


Meanwhile, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales also expressed alarm over the human fetuses found in the cities of Manila and Malabon this week following the Gulf Air incident.


In a statement, Rosales condemned the incidents, saying unwanted pregnancies could be avoided if only people are "less selfish, and more disciplined and capable of self control, exercising a strong will, and capable of making sacrifices".


"These are virtues that are much needed in a country of disciplined people," the Manila archbishop added
(Sun Star)

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