THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has expressed alarm over the rising cases of trafficking Filipino women intended for illegal surrogacy abroad.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado raised the red flag following the interception of another woman trying to leave for work as a surrogate mother to the tune of nearly P1 million.
The 37-year-old woman was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 while about to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Batumi, Georgia.
The BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) said the passenger initially presented herself as a sales associate, traveling to Georgia for business purposes.
However, immigration officers noticed discrepancies in her statements and referred her for a secondary inspection where she confessed to being recruited as a surrogate mother for an unidentified client.
The victim admitted a male recruiter contacted her via WhatsApp, offering P 28,000 per month during pregnancy and a final payment of more than P 500,000 after childbirth.
The recruiter had enticed her with promises of covered medical treatments and other benefits, apart from covering her documentation and travel costs.
Earlier this month, at least 20 Filipino women were rescued by Philippine authorities after being forced to serve as surrogate mothers in Cambodia.
Viado condemned the scheme, saying the exploitation of surrogacy falls within the scope of human trafficking, as it coerces or deceives women into becoming surrogate mothers.
The woman was referred to the inter-agency council against trafficking for assistance and filing of cases against her recruiters.
