The Bureau of Immigration reported that it successfully thwarted another illegal surrogacy trafficking attempt to Georgia, intercepting two Filipino victims at NAIA Terminal 1. Photo from the BI Facebook

MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday said it has prevented 2 Filipinas from leaving the country after they discovered that they were recruited as "surrogate mothers" in Georgia in Europe. 

Senate probe sought into 'surrogacy scheme' victimizing Filipinas

According to BI, the two attempted to leave the country from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Nov. 27.

The victims claimed they were acquaintances and professionals traveling on a self-funded leisure trip to Tbilisi, Georgia. 

WANTED: Surrogate Mothers

"However, their story was disproven when 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," the BI said.

13 pregnant Filipinas jailed in Cambodia in ‘good condition’: ambassador

The victims said they had been recruited through Facebook by an online recruiter.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said "illegal surrogacy" is considered a "trafficking activity."

Yale Medicine describes surrogacy as a "process in which a woman carries and delivers a child for a couple or individual."

There is no law prohibiting or allowing surrogacy in the Philippines, providing a legal gray area prone to abuse.

The passengers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.

In October, 13 pregnant Filipino women were sentenced to four years in jail in Cambodia for illegally acting as surrogate mothers.

The 13 were among 24 foreign women detained by Cambodian police in Kandal province in September and charged with attempted cross-border human trafficking, according to a statement from the Kandal court.

PH gov’t insists Pinay surrogates in Cambodia are victims amid possible criminal liability

The Philippine government has taken the position that the Filipinas involved in a surrogacy scheme in Cambodia were trafficking victims.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros has sought a Senate investigation into the alleged surrogacy scheme.

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