Here's How You Can Help the Couple Who Walked Home With Their Dead Newborn in a Box

Earlier we reported about a father who walked back home from Pasig to Makati carrying his dead newborn son in a box. 

It turns out that the mother walked with them, and this was just a little over a month after giving birth by caesarian section.

According to Analyn Flores, she gave birth prematurely at the Rizal Medical Center in Pasig City on March 11, 2020. Her partner, Rodel Canas, was with her. 

The baby, whom the couple named Roniel, died on April 13 at about 2 p.m.

After arranging the paperwork, the couple were discharged from the hospital with their baby in a box at past 8 p.m.

“Gusto sana namin babalikan na lang namin si baby kinabukasan, pero sabi samin ng morgue kung babalik din naman kami, dalhin na lang namin si baby (We wanted to come back for the baby the next day, but the morgue told us that we might as well just bring the baby with us so we didn’t have to come back the next day),” Flores told Esquire Philippines.

“Paglabas namin ng hospital, tinanong kami ng guard kung ano yung nasa loob ng kahon. Sabi ko bangkay ng baby ko (As we exited the hospital, the guard asked us what was inside the box. I told him it was our dead baby),” she added.

Flores said somebody at the morgue handed her P500 and said it was so they could give it to whoever was kind enough to give them a ride back to their home in East Rembo, Makati City. Public transport is unavailable since the start of the enhanced community quarantine in mid-March.

“Pero alam ko naman walang magpapasakay sa amin kasi unang-una, gabi na yun, pasado alas-ocho na. Tsaka dahil nga sa COVID, takot din siguro yung mga tao (I knew nobody would give us a ride because first of all, it was late at night. And then of course, there was COVID, so I knew people would be afraid),” Flores said.

So the couple had no choice but to walk back home with their baby. The mother said she was still recovering from the stitches from caesarian section, so they had to stop every once in a while to rest. They finally made it back home before midnight.

Flores said her partner immediately informed the barangay captain of their predicament. The next day, the barangay captain, Thelma Ramirez, arranged for the cremation of the baby.

Meanwhile, the RMC issued a statement about the incident. It said it was hospital policy that a funeral parlor would take the bodies of the deceased if no relative would claim it within four hours.

“Ayon sa staff na nag-release, nakiusap ang ama ng sanggol na iuuwi na lang niya dahil wala siyang pambayad ng cremation sa punerarya. Ilalapit niya ito sa barangay upang masagot ang gastusin sa cremation (According to the staff member, the father asked to bring the baby home because he did not have the money to pay for the cremation. He planned to ask for the help of the barangay to cover the cost of the cremation),” the statement said.

“At dahil na rin sa COVID crisis, hindi rin gusto ng ospital na magtagal ang mga labi dahil sa mga ibang namamatay na mga COVID cases (And because of the COVID crisis, the hospital does not want to keep the deceased for too long because of other deaths caused by COVID),” it added.

Flores, who has two other kids with Canas, says she is grateful for the help of Ramirez and other kind strangers who have offered them assistance since their story came out. She was also surprised to learn that, when she called up the hospital to ask about her bill, which reached P245,000, she was told that it had already been settled and that they didn’t need to pay anything. She says she has no idea who paid the bill.

Still, when told that there were people who had reached out and expressed their intention to help, Flores said they would be more than happy to accept. 

“Basta taos-puso yung pagpapa-abot nila ng tulong (As long as their desire to help is sincere),” she said.

Those who would like to help Analyn Flores and Rodel Canas can send a message to 0950-1140881.