2 female cops help woman give birth on street in Zamboanga del Sur

Two police officers and bystanders help Jocelyn Corero give birth on the street. (Photo from the Guipos Municipal Police Station)

GUIPOS, Zamboanga del Sur – Two female police officers played midwives to a 42-year old mother who gave birth here early Saturday.

SPO1 Maridel Balis and PO3 Rosel Maglente, who herself was six months pregnant, were part of a team of patrolling police officers, who were returning to the Guipos town hall, when they spotted Jocelyn Cordero after midnight.

Cordero, a resident of Purok Quatro in Barangay Poblacion in Guipos town, had earlier taken a tricycle from her house as she was already having labor pains.

But she barely reached the Municipal Rural Health Unit and started delivering her baby.

Balis and Maglente responded, though did not have any experience in assisting childbirth. They made Corder lie down on the pavement as she could no longer move because of pain.

Their colleagues called a midwife, but at this point, the baby started coming out of the mother’s womb.

Maglente said when the baby finally came out, she checked if the newborn was okay.

She also double checked on Cordero before rushing to the police station to get her extra tshirt, which she used to wrap the baby.

“The woman was not able hold the baby in her womb and spontaneously gave birth to a live baby boy,” Maglente said.

It was Cordero’s eighth child.

The laundress later told the Inquirer she could not thank the two police officers enough.

“I don’t know what would have happened to me if they had not arrived on time,” she said. /atm

SPO1 Maridel Balis (left) and PO3 Rosel Maglente (Photo by LEAH AGONOY)