Philippine officials have started searching for the mother of a newborn baby abandoned inside a plane that arrived in the Manila international airport.
Cleaners found the baby boy inside a rubbish bin in the toilet of a Gulf Air flight that arrived from Bahrain on Sunday, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.
The boy was covered with blood and wrapped in tissue paper when found. Staff said blood stains were also found on two seats in the plane.
An airport medical team cleaned up the newborn, then rushed him to a hospital. He is in good condition, said an official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, who has taken custody of the child.
Radio stations were swamped with calls offering adoption of the baby, but the welfare department said they are giving the mother a chance to come forward.
The boy weighs 3 kilograms, and measured 48 centimetres. Airport officials have reportedly christened the baby boy George Francis, short for GF which refers to Gulf Air's code.
MIAA general manager Angel Hongrado said they will conduct an investigation and find out who the baby's mother is, and why he was abandoned. Immigration authorities said they did not see or notice any female passenger looking sick or in pain.
