MANILA – The Philippine government has confirmed the rescue of 20 Filipino women who were allegedly brought by a Philippine agency to become surrogate mothers in Cambodia, where the practice is banned.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday that 13 of the women are already in various stages of pregnancy and are currently being sheltered in a local hospital, while the remaining seven are set to be repatriated.
“The Filipinas are visited and given assistance, including support for their personal and pre-natal needs,” said DFA Undersecretary for Migration Eduardo Jose de Vega in a televised interview.
The rescue operation was carried out by the Cambodian National Police on September 23 in Kandal Province, according to a separate statement from the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia. The embassy said the operation was in line with Cambodia’s Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation.
Based on preliminary interviews, the women were recruited online by an individual whose identity and nationality have yet to be determined. The recruiter, using an apparently assumed name, arranged for the women to travel to another Southeast Asian country before eventually sending them to Cambodia.
“The Philippine government is in coordination with relevant agencies to combat future surrogacy cases or human trafficking cases involving Filipinos,” de Vega assured.
The Khmer Times reported on October 8 that “a Philippine agency has been found to be bringing Filipinas into (Cambodia) to be artificially impregnated to provide babies for an infant-trafficking syndicate”.
The Philippine Embassy said it continues to coordinate with the Cambodian authorities for the speedy resolution of the case.
