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By Angelo S. Samonte, Reporter
Authorities are investigating the discovery of a
fetus placed in a plastic bag and dumped inside a restroom in the
Malacañang compound.
A janitor found the fetus Thursday morning, said
Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, head of President Gloria Arroyo’s
security force.
Prestoza said police are now trying to identify
the mother and determine whether the fetus was aborted intentionally
or accidentally.
Authorities are examining closed-circuit
television footages to establish the identity of the person who left
the fetus in a toilet.
“We are saddened by this incident which is now
being investigated,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a
statement. “We hold every human life sacred. We pray for the soul
of this innocent child, and hope that whoever was responsible for
this, realizes the gravity of this deed and seek atonement.”
Bunye added they are hoping that the person
responsible for dumping the fetus would realize the gravity of this
action and “seek atonement” for the act.
He noted that abortion is a crime in the
Philippines, one of few Roman Catholic countries in Asia that also
outlaws divorce.
Palace guards closed the restroom on Thursday
morning inside the New Executive Building in the Malacañang
complex.
The building houses the offices of several
Palace officials and the Malacañang press corps’ working area.
Over several years, fetuses have been left
inside or near public places, including churches. This is the first
time, however, that a fetus was discovered inside Malacañang, the
official residence of the Philippine president.
-- With AFP
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