Mayor Alfredo Benitez lauded May 6 the two city government employees, who assisted a woman giving birth, incidentally, in his own parking slot at the Bacolod Government Center (BCGC) Monday.
“I commend employees Milo and Dondon for their swift and compassionate response to a fellow Bacolodnon in need of urgent medical attention. Your actions reflect the true spirit of public service we uphold in our city government,” Benitez said in a statement.
The now mother of five, Michelle Bolangaita, 34, from Barangay Handumanan, and her baby girl, Albea Bless, who was named after Benitez’s nickname Albee, are both stable and healthy, the mayor reported.
Building watcher Milo Montelibano asked for assistance when he saw the tricycle carrying Bolangaita, who was having birth pains, stop at the parking lot.
Safety officer Dondon Parandas responded and helped the mother give birth.
A former officer-in-charge of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Parandas is no stranger to assisting in childbirth, having helped deliver three other babies before.
In an interview, Bolangaita said she was due to give birth on May 13.
“I asked our neighbor to bring me to the CHO and on our way there, I was having birth pains. I’m so thankful to them for helping me deliver my baby,” she said.
Meanwhile, Benitez has some happy thoughts about what transpired.
“She was born right in my assigned parking slot at the BCGC. Daw ma maninoy guid kita sini kay (It seems that I’m going to be a godfather to) Baby Albea,” the mayor quipped in a Facebook post along with the photo of Bolangaita and her newborn at the City Health Office (CHO) Lying-In and Birthing Center. | PNA
