Midwife held for tampering birth record of newborn baby
GAPAN CITY – Police on Monday arrested a midwife accused of accused of tampering the birth record of a newborn infant.
City police officer-in-charge Maj. Jimmy S. Mananguit identified the arrested woman as alias “Marya,” 50, of Bgy. Mangino, this city.
Warrant operatives arrested the suspect during a police operation conducted in Bgy. Bayanihan at 1:10 p.m. on Monday.
Mananguit said the arrest was made by virtue of an arrest warrant issued on October 14, 2024 by the Gapan City Regional Trial Court Branch 36 for violation of Article 347 of the Revised Penal Code (simulation of birth, substitution of one child for another, and concealment or abandonment of a legitimate child).
The court recommended a P72,000 bail for the accused’ temporary liberty.
Police investigator Cpl. Richard P. Reyes said the criminal case arose when the suspect-midwife delivered a baby but the newborn’s mother accidentally died.
The suspect gave the infant to a sister of the dead mother and signed the baby’s new birth certificate under the name of the deceased mother’s sister.
“Ang naghabol po rito at nagdemanda ay iyung ama ng bata dahil bakit daw ibinigay ‘yung bata sa kapatid ng nanganak hindi sa kanya,” Reyes told the Journal Group in a phone interview.
Simulation of birth under Article 347 of the RPC refers to the tampering of the civil registry record to make it appear in the record of birth that a child was born to a person who is not such child’s biological mother, causing the loss of the true identity and status of the child.
The arrested woman is now locked up in jail for proper disposition.
