DSWD to take custody of baby slapped by mom in viral video

The Department of Social Welfare and Development will be taking custody of the infant who was shown being slapped by his mother in a video, which went viral on social media last week.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said the young mother might be suffering from post-partum depression and might be having difficulty adjusting to her new responsibilities.

The DSWD’s Metro Manila regional office has sent social workers to check on the situation of the infant, who is confined at a Pasay City hospital.

Last week, a Facebook user, Nil Aquino Sabangan, uploaded the video of the mother slapping her young child who was crying incessantly as the pair rested on a hospital bed.

The video was viewed by 1.5 million Facebook users and shared more than 83,000 times as of Sunday.

According to the post, the video was taken at the Pasay City General Hospital.

Soliman said baby was at the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, as of Sunday, while the mother was in a separate ward.

Other mothers at the hospital have volunteered to breastfeed the baby.

“According to the resident doctors on duty, if the blood culture test of the baby turns out okay, he can be discharged within two to three days,” Soliman said.

The DSWD will be taking custody of the baby while the mother will remain in the hospital as she still has to undergo a blood transfusion and psychiatric examination.

The baby will be taken to a DSWD-managed center while the agency is searching for a relative who can take care of the infant.

Soliman said social workers and experts would evaluate the mental and psycho-social capability of the mother to take care of her child. Julie M. Aurelio, Philippine Daily Inquirer