Another Filipina has been prevented from leaving the country after it was found that she was recruited to become a surrogate mother abroad, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
In a statement, the BI said the suspected victim was intercepted last Oct. 15 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 before she could board a flight to Batumi, Georgia.
The bureau expressed concerns over the rising number of Filipino women being trafficked for illegal surrogacy. It said it had intercepted six Filipinas who had been recruited to become surrogate mothers abroad.
It said the intercepted woman initially presented herself as a sales associate and was going to Georgia for business.
“However, the primary inspection officer noticed discrepancies in her statements and referred her for a secondary inspection, and during interviews, she confessed to being recruited as a surrogate mother for an unidentified client,” it also said.
“The victim admitted a male recruiter contacted her via WhatsApp, offering P28,000 per month during pregnancy and a final payment of more than P500,000 after childbirth,” the bureau disclosed.
“The recruiter had enticed her with promises of covered medical treatments and other benefits, apart from shouldering her documentation and travel costs,” it added.