BI intercepts 4 Pinays hired as surrogate mothers

They were promised nearly P500,000 to bear children in Cambodia

FOUR Filipino women bound for Cambodia to become surrogate mothers were intercepted by Bureau of Immigration (BI) agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 1 on New Year’s Day.

The women were allegedly hired by foreign clients in exchange for a fee of close to P500,000.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the four women and their female recruiter were not allowed by the bureau’s travel control and enforcement unit personnel to board a Thai Airways flight.

During interrogation, the women admitted that after arriving in Bangkok, Thailand, they would proceed to Phnom Penh where they were supposed to be fetched by a Cambodian who arranged the deal with the foreigners, who were supposed to father the babies they would bear.

“This is a new modus operandi of a human trafficking syndicate that preys on our Filipino women who are enticed to bear children of strangers for a fee because of their poverty. We cannot allow this to happen,” said Morente.

The women claimed that they were each promised the amount of US$8,700 (a little over P432,000), US$200 (about P9,900) of which would be paid after the first injection of the foreigner’s sperm into their uterus and US$500 (nearly P25,000) would be added upon confirmation of the unborn child’s heartbeat.

The rest of the money would be paid in monthly installments during their pregnancy and until the baby is delivered and sent to the country of the father, the authorities said.

The women added that their babies were supposed to be fathered by a German, a Nigerian, an Australian, and a Chinese national.

The offloaded passengers also revealed that another batch of would-be surrogate mothers were scheduled to depart at the Naia at an undisclosed date, hence the alert order.

A surrogate mother is defined as one who bears a child on behalf of another woman, either from her own egg fertilized by the other woman’s partner, or from the implantation in her uterus of a fertilized egg from the other woman.

The BI chief directed personnel at the Naia to be vigilant in screening Filipino tourists departing for Thailand and Cambodia. He also commended the immigration officers who foiled the human trafficking operation. (FP/Sunnex)