By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A baby was rescued but later passed away at the hospital after being buried alive at a cemetery in Negros Occidental’s Pulupandan town over the weekend.

Authorities have requested not to identify the parents who are now being investigated by the police.

Based on information released by the Pulupandan Municipal Police Station, around 6:00 a.m. of August 21, the 22-year-old mother gave birth to the baby inside the house of her 23-year-old live-in partner in the said town.

However, the mother claimed the baby was not breathing, they immediately handed the child to a gravedigger for burial.

At around 10:00 a.m., the gravedigger claimed that he had started hearing cries from the place where he buried the baby, and discovered that the child was still alive.

The baby was immediately brought to the hospital for treatment, although police confirmed that the child had passed away yesterday morning.

Police have also questioned the parents, especially with the child’s death certificate, but they were unable to produce the document.

The police continue to investigate the incident to determine if the parents could be held criminally liable over the baby’s death./DGB, WDJ