Girl dies after being stuffed in sack

MANILA - A six-year-old girl died in the Philippines after her mother allegedly stuffed her into a sack for being stubborn, police said Monday.

Police arrested Melba Gamongan, 34, who tried to flee with her two other children after the incident late Saturday in Tabuk city in Kalinga province, 330 km north of Manila.

Senior Superintendent Virgilo Laya, the provincial police director, said the child suffocated because the sack was lined with cellophane.

Laya said the investigation indicated that Gamongan forced the girl into the sack “as punishment for her being hardheaded”.

“The mother then took a nap and when she checked on the child, she noticed that she was no longer breathing,” he said. “Neighbours came to Gamongan’s aid and rushed the victim to hospital.”

Laya said police would file infanticide charges against Gamongan, who allegedly beat her children or placed them inside sacks for small mistakes in the past, according to neighbours.