Ten pregnant women and three others with their babies were repatriated to the Philippines after being pardoned by the Royal Government of Cambodia.
The women were recruited to act as surrogates in Cambodia, and were all pregnant at the time of their arrest in September 2024 (see BioNews 1260). Surrogacy is illegal in Cambodia, and the women were convicted of human trafficking offences. Following petition by the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh, the Royal Government of Cambodia revoked the women's convictions. The 13 women, and three babies born since their arrests, were repatriated to the Philippines on 29 December 2024.
'Their safe homecoming is a testament to the longstanding friendly relations between the Philippines and Cambodia and the firm commitment of both governments to combat human trafficking and other transnational crimes,' the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, according to the Nation. They added, 'The Department of Foreign Affairs takes this opportunity to remind the Filipino public that surrogacy is banned in Cambodia and any violation thereof is punishable under Cambodian law.'
The women were arrested under Cambodia's Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, and were previously facing sentences of four years in prison, with two years suspended (see BioNews 1268). An additional 11 women discovered in the same investigation were not yet pregnant and were deported instead.
Cambodia banned surrogacy in 2016. However, commercial surrogacy is still in high demand and agencies in Cambodia continue to offer surrogacy services, according to the Taipei Times. There is currently no regulation of surrogacy in the Philippines.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provided temporary shelter for the women and children upon their arrival in the Philippines. Eight women and one baby were reunited with their families by the end of December 2024. Irene Dumlao, social welfare assistant secretary and DSWD spokesperson, told the Manila Standard: 'We are happy to report that the DSWD already processed the reintegration of the remaining five mothers and two babies to their families in Mindanao.'
It is not clear what will now happen to the babies. Nicholas Felix Ty, Philippine Department of Justice undersecretary and undersecretary-in-charge of the Philippine Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, said in a televised interview, 'The Cambodian government does not want the sale of the babies to those who transacted with our compatriots to be consummated,' according to tv360nigeria. Cambodian authorities want either the birth mothers or the Philippine government to take responsibility for the children.
Ty added that the Philippine government is evaluating the 'capacity' of the women to raise the children, and said, 'If we conclude that they are not able to do that, then the babies may become temporary wards of the state, and we would consider the possibilities for them, like adoption.'
Sources and References
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Filipino surrogates return home after royal pardon in Cambodia
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Cambodia pardons jailed Filipina mothers
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Philippines may put surrogate mothers' babies up for adoption
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Pardoned Filipino surrogates and their babies reunite with families
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All 13 Pinay surrogate moms, babies reunited with families after Cambodia repatriation
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