MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh confirmed the rescue of 20 Filipino women “lured” to go to Cambodia to be “surrogate mothers”, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
In a statement released by the Philippine Embassy, it stated that the women were rescued by the Cambodian National Police (CNP) in Kandal Province on 23 September 2024, in line with the country’s Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation.
Of the 20 women, 13 are in various stages of pregnancy and are now sheltered in a local hospital, while the remaining seven are awaiting repatriation, the Embassy stated.
The Philippine Embassy narrated that based on preliminary interviews, the recruitment of these 20 Filipino women took place in cyberspace by an individual whose identity and nationality have yet to be determined conclusively.
“The recruiter with an apparently assumed name arranged for the women to travel to another Southeast Asian country, but eventually sent them to Cambodia where surrogacy is banned,” the Embassy continued
In the Philippines, a regulatory framework for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and Surrogacy procedures has yet to be crafted.
The Embassy emphasized that human trafficking is a transnational crime, and aside from the Filipino women, the involvement of other nationalities has been established.
At the time of their rescue, the Embassy mentioned that the women were found to be under the care of a local “nanny”, together with four other women from a neighbouring country.
Meanwhile, the Embassy reiterated its commitment to continue to closely coordinate with the Cambodian authorities for the speedy resolution of the case, with a view to protecting the rights and welfare of the Filipino women, and to continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and international partners to combat human trafficking in all forms.
Here in Manila, DFA Undersecretary for Migration Eduardo Jose de Vega, during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing on Wednesday (Oct. 9), said that the Filipino women were rescued through the combined efforts of the Inter-Agency Task Force Against Human Trafficking.
According to De Vega, fraudulent schemes to entice Filipinos to work abroad, specifically throughout Southeast Asia are rampant, and reminded the public to go through the official process, with the Department of Migrant Workers-Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (DMW-POEA) to ensure protection against scammers.
“All throughout Southeast Asia maraming nata-traffic ng mga scammers or ngayon, as surrogate na mothers. Please, bago kayo po pupunta sa ating mga kapitbahay na bansa para magtrabaho dumaan kayo sa DMW-POEA, iyong official process,” De Vega emphasized.
“Of course, may bayad pa iyan, may hassle iyan, pero importante may proteksiyon para sa inyo, mas maganda iyong proteksiyon, isa iyon,” he added.
De Vega also encouraged victims of human trafficking to file cases and issue a statement to the relevant agencies, for investigation and ultimately, filing of cases against the perpetrators.
The challenge for both the government and the victims regarding human trafficking cases is that the perpetrators use social media, email or Facebook to contact their potential victims, as relayed by the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia.
“Through the Inter-Agency Task Force, kapag dumadating iyong ating mga kababayan ay kinukuha iyong statement nila, iniimbestigahan iyong nangyari para kasuhan iyong mga gumagawa nito, ang problema ayon sa ating embahada, iyong sinasabi ninyong agency, eh, we might not even know the physical address of this embassy because lahat sila via social media kinontak, via e-mail, Facebook,” lamented De Vega.
According to the official, most victims were promised jobs like “computer work, tourism work”, but ended up doing something else, like what happened to the victims who were used as surrogate mothers.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy ensured that all 20 Filipinos were interviewed in the presence of an Embassy representative and an interpreter in every step of the investigation process. They are also visited by Embassy officials for timely assistance-to-nationals services, including support for their personal and pre-natal needs.
