Mother hits infant daughter to death

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A 21-year-old mother who accidentally killed her 12-month old daughter and buried the child at their backyard is now under the custody of the police.

Sr. Inspector Elias Dandan, municipal police chief of Matalam town in North Cotabato, said they will file on Friday criminal charges against Jocelyn Lavandero, who had confessed to having hit her daughter repeatedly with both hands, which caused the child’s death.

Dandan said they learned of the incident from a neighbor of the Lavandero family in Barangay Bangbang, a remote district in Matalam.

Dandan said the mother tried to cover up the accident by burying her child’s cadaver in a shallow grave at their backyard.

Wilma Ma-aya, social welfare officer of the Matalam local government unit, said Lavandero confessed to having killed her child in the presence of barangay officials that accompanied Dandan and his men to Barangay Banbang to investigate on the incident.

“She told us she got furious with the continuous, loud cry of the child for a long time which caused her to lose control and hit the infant repeatedly with her bare hands,” Ma-aya said.

Ma-aya said Lavandero could be suffering from what they call “postpartum depression,” which can affects some women with serious problems after childbirth.

“She begot that child out of wedlock,” Ma-aya said.