The Bureau of Immigration (BI) foiled an attempt by two suspected surrogate mothers to illegally leave the country to Georgia, a country in Eastern Europe.
The two victims, whose identities were kept confidential for their protection, claimed they had been recruited through Facebook by an online recruiter.
Both victims claimed to be acquaintances and professionals traveling on a self-funded leisure trip to Tbilisi, Georgia. However, secondary inspectors discovered that their documents were fraudulent.
The victims later admitted that they had been offered the opportunity to serve as surrogate mothers for an unidentified individual, with a monthly salary of P700,000. According to the victims, the recruiter had explicitly instructed them to undergo a physical medical examination before traveling to Georgia.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado stated that illegal surrogacy is considered a trafficking activity.
The passengers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.