Agency behind Filipinas jailed in Cambodia for surrogacy identified
‘From their stories, we have identified one agency, a recruiter in the Philippines, which we are now focusing on for a criminal investigation.’
Daily Tribune‘From their stories, we have identified one agency, a recruiter in the Philippines, which we are now focusing on for a criminal investigation.’
Department of Justice
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has identified the recruitment agency that recruited 13 Filipinas to be surrogate mothers in Cambodia, which led to their incarceration in that country.
According to Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty, who oversees the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), the government is doing everything to assist the Filipinas who were sentenced to jail after being convicted of human trafficking in Cambodia.
Ty said the Filipinas were interviewed by Philippine authorities, including prosecutors, in Cambodia to gather information on what happened to them.
Based on the statement of the Filipinas, the authorities managed to identify one agency that recruited them to become surrogate mothers.
“From their stories, we have identified one agency, a recruiter in the Philippines, which we are now focusing on for a criminal investigation,” Ty said.
He said the government has extended all possible assistance to the surrogate mothers, including legal and medical support. They are also being interviewed by the Philippine authorities to gather the full details of the situation.
The Philippines informed the Cambodian government of its position that the children would be Filipinos citizens since the surrogate mothers are Filipinos.
Under Philippine law, the person who has filiation to the child is considered the legal parent. From the government’s standpoint therefore, the children should be brought back to the Philippines.
One concern, however, is the future of the children. Since the mothers are surrogates, their relationship with the children may be affected, as they do not share the same DNA.
“They don’t have the same DNA, not blood related because the eggs of the Cambodian women were implanted in the fetus of the Filipinas. Secondly, we know the Filipina mothers planned to sell the baby; thirdly the mothers might have no affection for the babies because of what happened to them,” Ty said.
The DoJ official said the government will have to monitor the situation and find alternatives to nurture the children, one of which is adoption.
