Thirteen Filipino women convicted in Cambodia for illegal surrogacy were repatriated yesterday after Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni granted them a royal pardon on December 26.
The 13 surrogate mothers with three babies arrived at the NAIA Terminal 1 on Sunday at 4:50 a.m. via Philippine Airlines. They were accompanied by a Cambodian doctor and a Filipino nurse.
“Upon the request of the Philippine Embassy and with the endorsement of the Royal Government of Cambodia,
the Royal Decree pardoning all 13 Filipinos paved the way for their release and immediate repatriation,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.
The Department expressed gratitude to Cambodian authorities “for the humanitarian treatment extended to the Filipina mothers throughout the investigative and judicial process.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT)said the repatriation of the 13 Filipinas underscored the Philippines’ close ties with its neighbors.
“First, we have been able to negotiate and spare Mary Jane Veloso’s life from death row. Now, we welcome back home our 13 kababayans who fell victim to human traffickers. Indeed this is the best way to end the year, by delivering real justice for all in real time,” said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
For his part, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty shared “This swift whole-of-nation coordinated action was made possible through the collective efforts and dedication of the IACAT member agencies.”
He assured that concerned agencies will remain steadfast “in our collaborative efforts guided by our shared mission to combat human trafficking and protect our women and children from abuse and exploitation,” he added.
As this developed, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced that it would give temporary shelter to the 13 Filipinas until they could return to their families.
Secretary Rex Gatchalian yesterday directed the agency’s field office in the National Capital Region to render all the needed assistance under the Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons (RRPTP) to the 13 surrogate mothers and three of their babies.
“The DSWD as the Co-Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) treats the 13 surrogate mothers as victims of trafficking and all forms of assistance should be given to them including the provision of transportation and temporary shelter in one of the Department’s centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs),” he said.
Lawyer Elaine Fallarcuna, an assistant secretary for International Affairs who represents the DSWD in the IACAT, reported to Gatchalian that a CRCF is already being prepared for the mothers and their babies.
“While the surrogate mothers are in temporary shelter, the DSWD will help them communicate with their families for their reintegration. The respective families of the surrogate mothers will also be assessed for the provision of the necessary services and intervention,” she said.
Among the IACAT member agencies include the DFA, DSWD, Bureau of Immigration (BI), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Health (DOH).
The 13 Filipina mothers were among the 24 foreign women caught by Cambodian police in Kandal province in September and charged with attempted cross-border human trafficking.
Seven other Filipinas, who were not yet pregnant, were repatriated in October.
A Cambodian court ruled the 13 Filipinas “have the intention… to have babies to sell to a third person in exchange for money, which is an act of human trafficking.”
They were later sentenced to four years imprisonment in Cambodia before eventually being given a royal pardon based on the request by the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh and with the endorsement of the Royal Government of Cambodia.
The Philippine government has taken the position that the Filipinas involved in a surrogacy scheme in Cambodia were trafficking victims.
There is no law prohibiting or allowing surrogacy in the Philippines.
