Manila court junks detained mother's bid to be with underweight newborn child

A Manila court has denied a detainee's request to stay with her weeks-old baby at a hospital or a jail nursery until the child is 12 months old.

Judge Marivic Balisi-Umali denied Reina Mae Nasino's motion "in light of the very limited resources of the Manila City Jail Female Dormitory."

Nasino gave birth at a hospital last July 1 and was transferred back to the city jail the following day. Through her lawyers, she asked the court to allow her to stay with her daughter, who was born underweight, until the child turns a year old.

Nasino is one of the petitioners in a pending Supreme Court case for the humanitarian release of vulnerable detainees during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was arrested at Bayan's office last November and faces charges for illegal possession of firearms.

In an order dated July 20, the judge quoted the Manila City Jail Female Dormitory's officer-in-charge as saying that they "cannot compromise the security and safety of 817 PDL (persons deprived of liberty) to one PDL who is nursing mother alone."

The officer-in-charge said many of their personnel are on home quarantine and that they cannot provide staff members to escort Nasino in the hospital for 12 months.

The judge also said that the officer-in-charge moved that the baby be turned over to her father or any relative who could take better care of her.

"The jail is doing its best to insure that the PDLs are in good condition but has depleted personnel to guard the movant in the hospital for 12 months," the judge said.

Kapatid, a group of families and friends of political prisoners, said "separating a 22-day-old baby from her mother while that baby is breastfeeding is heartless and cruel" especially during the pandemic.

"Hindi po namin deserve na mag-ina na magkahiwalay kaagad. Hindi karapat-dapat na makaramdam 'yung mga bata na maihiwalay kaagad sa kanilang mga magulang lalo na sa kanilang ina," Kapatid quoted Nasino as saying.

National Union of Peoples' Lawyers president Edre Olalia said the court decision was "outrageous and atrocious."

"We have lost our sense of humanity," he said. "Even newborn animals are not separated from their mothers." -NB, GMA News