Charges filed in court against woman involved in surrogacy scheme

The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) disclosed yesterday that charges have been filed against a woman, who was arrested last October, for her alleged involvement in a scheme that recruits Filipinas to become surrogate mothers abroad.

The woman, identified as Freezle Mae R. Balondo, has been 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.

The IACAT stated that "authorities alleged that she was involved in recruiting and arranging the transportation of two women to Thailand, who were intercepted and offloaded by the Bureau of Immigration – Immigration, Protection, and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES)."

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

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

It also said that the two women are under investigation for alleged involvement in the surrogacy scheme. They were identified as Joyce Mlang and Wensen Shen.

The IACAT further alleged that Joyce posted online advertisements for surrogate mothers and offered financial compensation ranging from $8,000 to $10,000.

On the other hand, Shen is allegedly linked to ML&MLANG International Surrogacy and is suspected of being involved in the scheme.