DNA test proves OFW is mother of 'Gulf Air baby' — DSWD

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday confirmed the claim of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) that the baby dumped inside a Gulf Air plane trashbin in September was hers. Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said they verified the claim of an OFW from Bahrain through a "DNA test" of the bloodstains found on the plane seat, according to a QTV Balitanghali report. DNA testing (also known as DNA profiling, DNA typing, or genetic fingerprinting) is a technique used by forensic scientists to help identify individuals based on their respective DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) profiles. Soliman confirmed that the woman was a victim of rape and abuse by her employer in Bahrain. It was not immediately clear if the woman underwent an examination to check the rape claim. Investigation also showed that two days before returning to the Philippines, the wife of the woman's employer discovered her pregnancy.

Earlier, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) fetched the woman from her home province of Apayao after she admitted to being the mother of baby "George Francis," who was named after the call letters of the Gulf Air flight where he was born. The manifest of Gulf Air flight GF-154, which landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from Bahrain September 12, led authorities to her whereabouts. Soliman said they have no plans of lodging charges against the mother because she is considered a victim due to the "circumstances that surrounded her preganancy." Soliman said she believed the mother's claim that she decided to abandon her baby inside the plane because of "confusion and desperation." The woman is currently undergoing stress debriefing to relieve her of any guilt and trauma from the incident. The mother has likewise expressed intention to take the baby with her back to Apayao. To prove that she really wanted to raise her baby, the woman regularly sends her breastmilk to baby George Francis, who is under the custody of the DSWD. She is also set to reunite with her baby. The television report quoted the woman's husband as saying he has "already forgiven" his wife for the incident, and was willing to adopt the baby. Soliman said it was up to the mother whether or not to file charges against her employer in Bahrain. –VVP, GMANews.TV