Manila: A passenger on a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain who was taken into custody by Philippine authorities on Thursday claimed she was the mother of the baby found abandoned in the aircraft's lavatory last Sunday.
Alma Daggadan Estrelle, a resident of Flora town in the northern province of Apayao, made the statement after she was taken into custody by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation. She and the newborn, temporarily identified as Gilbert Francis Dimaano, were subjected to DNA testing to validate her claim.
Gilbert Francis was derived from Gulf Air's international airline code while Dimaano was the family name of the cleaner who found the baby in the aircraft lavatory's bin.
A blood-stained seat led authorities to Estrelle who worked as a domestic helper in Bahrain.
The 30-year-old said she was sorry for what she had done and asked that she be allowed to see and claim her baby, an NBI agent said. "She was crying and she seemed spaced out," said an NBI agent.
Government social welfare officials are studying her request.
Binder
An ABS-CBN report said the woman used an abdominal binder to hide her pregnancy.
Estrelle said she had no idea she would give birth on the journey.
According to an ABS-CBN report the woman's family, including her husband, did not expect that she would be coming home this year from Qatar, where she has worked as a domestic helper for four years.
"Her family was happy she came back for a vacation, but their joy turned to sadness after she was taken into custody by authorities on Wednesday," the report said.
"I don't know if the baby is Filipino. Of course, her husband is not willing to accept that the baby is his because my sister left in July last year and became pregnant only in January," said the report, quoting the woman's sister.
