MANILA, Philippines—A 31-year-old woman gave birth to a baby girl just as she was about to board an aircraft bound for Roxas City Tuesday morning.
The woman, identified as Michelle Raz, was about to board Cebu Pacific flight 5J373 when she went into labor.
According to Engr. Bing Lina, manager of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, Raz was already at the aerobridge—the one which connects the terminal to the aircraft—of Boarding Gate 120 around 10 a.m. when her bag of water broke, followed by a series of painful contractions.
Raz, assisted by other passengers, lay on the floor of the movable tube as her companions, her son and a nephew, immediately called for help.
Airport authorities said two of Raz’s fellow passengers, who were reportedly doctors from the Philippine General Hospital, immediately checked on Raz’s condition.
One of the doctors was identified as Treah May Suacillo, according to Lina, who added that personnel from the Naia 3 clinic also assisted in the delivery of the baby.
After giving birth, Raz, her baby and her two other companions, were subsequently boarded to a waiting ambulance who took them to nearby San Juan de Dios Hopsital in Pasay City.
The Cebu Pacific flight, which was scheduled to depart at 10 a.m., was able to proceed with its flight at 10:53 a.m.
It was not immediately known if Raz had secured a medical clearance for her to be allowed to travel.
“Usually, pregnant passengers are being checked by a medical staff to determine if it’s safe for them to travel. We have yet to determine if she went through the same procedure,” Lina explained.
Other airport authorities surmised that Raz could have tried to hide the information she was already her due to give birth.