NBI nabs midwife over sale of 6-day-old baby for P25,000

This photo shows midwife Maria Christina Paule during a press conference at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila on Thursday, July 18, 2024. The NBI arrested Paule for selling a six-day-old baby girl for P25,000. She was nabbed during an entrapment operation on July 16. Tetch Torres-Tupas/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested a midwife for selling a six-day-old baby girl for P25,000.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago identified the midwife as Maria Christina Paule, who was nabbed during an entrapment operation in Muntinlupa City last July 16.

“Siya ay nagaalok sa Facebook to sell a baby,” Santiago said in a press conference Thursday. “’Yung baby is six days old. (She) is offering to sell the baby for P25,000.”

(She offers on Facebook to sell a baby. The baby was just six days old and is being sold for P25,000).

READ: DOJ: Baby sale on FB ‘prevalent’; 500 accounts so far taken down

NBI’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD) Chief Olga Angustia-Gonzales said they received the initial information regarding the illegal activity from the Department of Justice’s Cyber-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Monitoring Center.

She said an undercover agent contacted the suspect through Facebook Messenger.

“Napag-alaman namin na ang bata ay bagong silang at ang nanay ay dati niyang pasyente,” she said.

(We learned that the child was a newborn and that the baby’s mother was her former patient)

Gonzales said the baby is still unregistered. Once sold, the suspect will take care of the baby’s registration, according to the NBI official.

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“Ayon na din dun sa nasabing  kumadrona ay hindi pa rehistrado ang bata o wala pang birth certificate at s’ya na ang mag-aayos nito kapag natapos na ang nasabing transaksyon,” Gonzales said.

(According to the midwife, the baby is not yet registered and does not have a birth certificate but will process it herself once the transaction has been completed).

Gonzales said the midwife denied selling babies and only sold the six-day-old infant to recover the money she spent in helping the baby’s mother give birth.

The suspect also told the NBI that the mother has abandoned the baby, according to Gonzales.

“Hinahanap po namin ‘yung nanay. Maari po syang makasuhan ng child abuse or abandonment and neglect doon sa sarili niyang anak,” Gonzales said.

(We are looking for the mother. She may be charged with child abuse or abandonment and neglect of her own child,)