Manila exec parries complaints over baby’s death at Boystown
THE HEAD of the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) suspected “political sabotage” as the motive behind a media report on the death of a 1-year-old boy allegedly because of food poisoning at Manila Boystown Complex in Marikina City last week.
MDSW chief Dr. Arnold Pangan said he found the timing of the report questionable, stressing that he and his staff had lately been working almost 24/7 to clear Manila’s streets of vagrants.
“The boy died and was buried a week ago. How come it took this long for anyone to complain?” Pangan said in an interview Tuesday.
The story, aired by ABS-CBN Monday night, reported the death of the infant Michael Tayag allegedly due to food poisoning after he was given a ground pork dish by the Boystown staff on Sunday.
Elsie, the victim’s mother, said in the TV interview that her son began having high fever, convulsions and diarrhea Sunday night. The boy was found dead the next morning.
The mother also complained that there was no doctor around to attend to her son and that they were not allowed to hold a wake.
Pangan, however, said the complaint wasn’t even “official.” He said a representative from the Commission on Human Rights went to Boystown with only a photo of the mother leaning over her son’s coffin, which was also published in a tabloid Monday.
The tabloid also carried a story saying two Manila councilors would be calling on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to investigate the boy’s death.
“I will be talking to the Boystown staff about this. We need to implement stricter security measures on who to let in the facility,” said Pangan. “My theory is this: Someone took a photo and leaked it to the press.”
We have a person whose task is to take a deceased (Boystown) resident to the funeral home and assist his or her family on burial arrangements. When the baby, Michael, died, only that staff member was with the family—the mother, father, and three other children—at the funeral home. So now we have to investigate “(if the staff member was the one who leaked the photo),” said Pangan.
Pangan, a pediatrician, also disputed the food poisoning allegation. “You can’t feed a baby ground pork when he’s that young—just mashed potatoes or other vegetables. Also, the baby was still being breast-fed.”
Had the mother alerted social workers to her son’s condition Sunday night, a doctor would have been called immediately, he added. “Our doctor is on call during the weekends. One phone call and he would have been there to check on the child. Diarrhea, fever, convulsions—those are all signs of dehydration. Any mother who sees her child suffering would have immediately asked for help. The child died because of neglect.”
As for the family’s request to hold a wake, Pangan said it was Boystown’s policy to bring deceased residents directly to the funeral home for embalming, and then to Manila North Cemetery for burial.
Councilor Ali Atienza on Tuesday said he and Councilor Rod Lacsamana would be asking the DSWD to investigate the boy’s death and other alleged cases of abuse inside Boystown.
“We want to know first who is behind the alleged food poisoning so we can file the proper complaint,” said Atienza. “[Boystown] tried to cover up the incident.”
“This is not the first time. We’ve heard numerous complaints of abuse. Six months ago, there was a report that someone was raped inside the facility. Instead of taking care of the victim and reporting it to police, she was just let out,” he added.
