• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) is searching for a mother, allegedly struggling with mental health issues, and her family after she abandoned her newborn baby girl at the City Health Office’ lying-in clinic on Tuesday morning, May 19.
The mother, an alias ‘Jovelle’ who is in her early 30s, gave birth on Monday night, right in front of a school in Bacolod City where she and her partner had been staying.
Following a report from Barangay 4 officials, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and DSSD personnel immediately responded to rescue the mother and the infant, bringing them to a nearby lying-in center for medical attention.
However, by the following morning, Jovelle fled the facility, leaving her newborn behind.
Bacolod Anti-Mendicancy Program Coordinator Anjanette Servano disclosed that the mother and her partner were already regular clients of the DSSD.
Back in March, the couple had signed an agreement to dismantle the makeshift shelter they built outside the Andres Bonifacio Elementary School (ABES) in Barangay 4.
While social workers had been conducting weekly operations to monitor the area over the past two months, they did not notice the pregnancy due to Jovelle’s small physical build.
The DSSD confirmed that the newborn baby girl is currently stable and remaining under care at the lying-in clinic.
Social workers are now tracking down the mother’s family in Barangay Mansilingan to assess if they are capable of taking custody and providing a proper home for the infant.
If the family cannot be contacted or is deemed unable to care for the child, the DSSD will officially step in and take full custody of the baby.
Authorities are also continuing their search for Jovelle to ensure she undergoes a proper mental health assessment and receives the necessary intervention.*
