A 43-year-old US woman was arrested in the boarding
area of an airport in the Philippines on Wednesday after hiding a
baby boy inside her carry-on bag, immigration officials said.
The suspect was to board her flight to the United States when she
failed to present the infant's travel documents, said Melvin Mabulac,
a spokesman for the Bureau of Immigration.
The airline turned her over to airport authorities, who discovered
that she had put the baby inside a bag strapped to her waist and only
brought him out after passing through immigration.
"The infant was hidden in the oversized belt bag, and she did not
declare nor present him to the immigration inspector," Mabulac said.
The baby is believed to be Filipino and about one week old, he added.
The suspect was turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation
for questioning - they will now determine if it is a case of human
trafficking.
The baby was brought to the Department of Social Welfare
and Development.
Grifton Medina, head of the Bureau of Immigration's Port Operations
Division, said the suspect said she was the baby's aunt.
"She said she was bringing the baby to the US to get vaccinations and
participate in some religious rites," he told Manila radio station
DZBB.
Under Philippine laws, travel clearance from the social welfare
department is required for children below 18 years old to travel
alone or with companions other than their parents.
The woman had put the baby inside a bag strapped to her waist and only brought him out after passing through immigration