A newborn baby boy was rescued after being abandoned and left out overnight next to a river while being lashed with heavy rain.

The tot, believed to be under a day old, was dumped on a riverbank next to a remote creek during a torrential storm that also caused flash floods in the Philippines on October 15.

Residents head crying the next morning and discovered the drenched and naked infant while he was shivering without any clothes on the outskirts of Mandaue City in Cebu province.

They recorded the boy after he was wrapped in a light green towel and put in a make-shift wooden box. He was later taken to hospital.

Resident Charlotte Angela, who filmed the video, said that her cousin found the naked baby dropped on the riverbank. Locals then cuddled him to keep him warm as he was cold from the rain.

Charlotte said: ‘I feel sorry for the baby because his mother just dumped him near the river like that. He also seemed to have been there for a long time because he was starving and shivering.

‘The rain was heavy, but he is quite resilient and brave.’

The baby was taken to the hospital for checkups but was otherwise healthy. He has now been handed over to authorities who will care for him until the mother can be found or he is sent to an orphanage.

Charlotte added: ‘I will keep in contact with the hospital and care agency, because I want to know that he is safe and well. He’s lucky to be alive. I pray that he will grow up strong and happy.’

Police are trying to search for the mother of the baby by asking nearby villages if they know anyone who was heavily pregnant. They suspect a teenager or young woman may have abandoned the baby because they were unable to cope with raising him.

A police spokesman said the baby was being cared for by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and that they had not found the mother.

They added: ‘It is important we find the mother so she can explain how the baby came to be found like that. She may also need medical attention, so it’s important we speak with her.’