A pregnant woman in the Philippines had to give birth on the sidewalk earlier this week due to the chaotic traffic caused by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in the country's capital of Manila.
Heavy traffic in Manila isn't something Filipinos aren't used to - Waze recently hailed the country as having the worst traffic congestion around the world.
However, as world leaders and delegates arrived in the country for the summit, the traffic situation reached new heights - infuriating majority of citizens living in Manila.
Police had to shut down key roads in the metro, even using barricades to set aside two lanes on its major highway for fast and safe traveling of the world leaders.
The pregnant woman in question was obviously stuck in traffic when she went into labor. Seeing that there was no way for her to make it to a nearby hospital, two police officers extended their services and helped the woman give birth.
National Police Spokesman Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor said at a news conference (via NDTV): "It was a special situation but the important thing is the baby is alive and they (the officers) were able to perform their duties."
A woman named Angel Ramos-Canoy uploaded a few photos on her Facebook account, with a description of what had happened, which quickly became viral. Check out the post here. The caption reads:
"5am, we are already on the road. Waiting for a bus/van/jeep that we could ride. Until now, we're still on the road, walking along COD [City of Dreams]. We saw at the right moment how the woman was in labor and gave birth. Baby Boy!! The girl in red, was talking politely to police officers to get an ambulance, but there was none. It was traffic! I said, 'Sir, what about your mobile!' However, the policeman just shrugged his shoulders. Sad to say, we were there. All we can do is to give shade through our umbrellas. 2 mins... 3 mins... The baby is still not crying. The mommy is sleeping. Or tired. Or exhausted. Perhaps, she passed out. All we can do now is PRAY. Hoping they will be fine. SOON. #EpicAPEC."
Thankfully, as Wilben Mayor notes, the policewoman that helped deliver the baby was a midwife, while the male officer was a trained nurse.
According to local news outlet ABS-CBN, the police officers were able to get another motorist to help bring the woman and the baby to San Juan de Dios Hospital.
The hospital says that both the mother and baby were in good condition, and will be discharged soon.
