A newborn girl with her umbilical cord still attached was found by residents lying naked near a rubbish bin in the Philippines.

The abandoned infant was covered in blood and dirt when it was discovered by a local, who heard it crying near a building in Angeles City, Pampanga province on August 14.

Shocked residents scooped up the child which had gone pale from exposure to the cold, and took her home to clean and clothe her. They then reported the discovery to police and village officials in the notorious city, best known as the country's red light destination for tourists.

Patrolman Mark Joshua Soliman, Police Community Relations chief of Angeles City Police Station 2, said: 'A 17-year-old girl found the baby at around 3 to 4 am. The baby was there on top of the garbage, so the teen called the older residents in her house.

'They found that the infant's umbilical cord was still uncut, and it was covered in bits of blood, meaning it had just been born recently.

'That area is very dark at night because it's next to the Abacan River. The village had no CCTV cameras installed there when we went to inspect.'

The foundling has been handed to the city social welfare office and taken for check-ups at a hospital.

Philippine National Police spokesman Colonel Jean Fajardo said: 'Under the revised penal code po, the parents may be charged with child abandonment in relation to RA 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act).

'If proven guilty, they may be jailed for up to six months and there is also a fine.'

Police said the investigation is still ongoing.