The Philippines has appealed to Cambodia not to file charges against 13 pregnant women who are among the 20 rescued Filipinas reportedly hired as surrogate mothers, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Monday, Oct. 14.
“Ang embahada natin sa Cambodia ay nakikiusap sa pamahalaan ng Cambodia na kung pwede hindi naman mangyari ito (The Philippine Embassy in Cambodia has been appealing to the Cambodian government not to do the filing of charges),” said DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix L. Ty during an interview on PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed last Oct. 9 that 20 Filipinas, including 13 pregnant women, were rescued by local authorities in Cambodia where they were trafficked to become surrogate mothers.
“May pito sa kanila ay malapit na daw mapauwi. Ito ‘yung mga hindi buntis (Seven of them will soon be returning to the Philippines. Those who are not pregnant),” said Ty who is the undersecretary in charge of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).
Ty said the 13 pregnant Filipinas will be staying longer in Cambodia to monitor their health and their babies.
“Ang alam ko ang surrogacy ay illegal sa Cambodia kaya maaari humarap sila ng kasong kriminal (Surrogacy is illegal in Cambodia and they might face criminal charges),” he lamented.
Ty said that under Philippine laws, "sila ay mga biktima ng human trafficking (for us they are victims of human trafficking).”
“At ‘yun nga ang ipaglalaban natin sa Cambodia na sana, dahil tinuturing natin silang human trafficking victims, sana itong principle na ‘to ‘yung non-punishment or non-criminal liability ay i-apply ng Cambodia sa kanila (We will ask Cambodia that they be considered human trafficking victims and this principle of non-punishment or non-criminal liability be applied to these women),” he said.
With the return of the 20 Filipinas to the Philippines, Ty expressed hope “tumulong sila sa pamahalaan para sa imbestigasyon, para maituro natin kung sino ang recruiter nila dito sa Pilipinas at makasuhan din ang recruiter na ‘yun (they help the government in the investigation, identify their recruiter here in the Philippines so that charges can be filed against this person).”
As human trafficking victims, Ty assured that they will receive from the government benefits including financial help, psycho-social support, and assistance to help them reintegrate into society.
He then urged Filipinas not to fall victim to this scheme that offers at least P500,000 for every woman to become surrogate mothers abroad.
He noted that since 2021, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has been intercepting Filipinas involved in the surrogacy scheme.
“Noong biyernes meron na naman tayong bagong nasalba na dalawang Pilipina sa airport at ‘yung kanilang trafficker, ‘yung lalaki na kasama nila ay humarap na sa inquest proceedings dito sa DOJ (Just this Friday we rescued two Filipinas at the airport and the male trafficker accompanying them already underwent inquest proceedings before the DOJ),” he said.
Based on BI reports, Ty noted that these women are initially taken to Thailand which is a visa-free country then later transferred to another country like Cambodia.