Surrogacy ‘schemer’ faces raps

The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) yesterday disclosed the filing of charges against a woman arrested last October for her alleged involvement in a scheme recruiting Filipinas to become surrogate mothers abroad.

The woman, identified as Freezle Mae R. Balondo, was charged with violations of Section 4(a) of Republic Act (RA) 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, as amended, and RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

In a statement, the IACAT said that authorities allege Balondo was involved in recruiting and arranging the transportation of two women to Thailand, who were intercepted and offloaded by the Bureau of Immigration’s Immigration, Protection, and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES).

The I-PROBES referred the case to IACAT, which then endorsed it to the National Bureau of Investigation-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-HTRAD) for investigation.

The IACAT, led by the Department of Justice, said the case underscores the government’s commitment to combating trafficking in all forms, including the exploitation of women through surrogacy arrangements.

It also mentioned that the two women, identified as Joyce Mlang and Wensen Shen, are under investigation for their alleged involvement in the surrogacy scheme.

Joyce is accused of posting online advertisements for surrogate mothers and offering financial compensation ranging from $8,000 to $10,000. Shen is suspected of being linked to ML&MLANG International Surrogacy and involved in the scheme.