DSWD to provide temporary shelter, assistance to 13 Pinoy surrogates

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Sunday that it would provide temporary shelter and comprehensive assistance to 13 Filipino surrogates recently repatriated from Cambodia after being convicted of human trafficking.

In a statement, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed the agency’s National Capital Region field office to extend support to the surrogates under the Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons.

“As the Co-Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), the DSWD recognizes the 13 surrogate mothers as victims of trafficking. They will be given all necessary assistance, including transportation and temporary shelter at one of the Department’s centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs),” Gatchalian said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that the surrogates arrived in Manila on Sunday after being granted a royal pardon on December 26, 2024.

Accompanying the surrogates were three babies, who were also brought back to the Philippines.

DSWD Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Elaine Fallarcuna stated that while the surrogate mothers are housed in temporary shelters, the agency will facilitate communication with their families to support reintegration.

“The respective families of the surrogate mothers will also undergo an assessment to determine the services and interventions needed,” Fallarcuna said. “Transportation assistance to their home cities or provinces will be provided, along with counseling services and other necessary interventions during their stay at the CRCF.”

The 13 surrogates were among 24 foreign women apprehended by Cambodian authorities in Kandal province in September.

They were charged with attempted cross-border human trafficking and subsequently convicted on December 2 for violating Cambodia’s law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking.

Each was sentenced to four years in prison before receiving the royal pardon. — DVM, GMA Integrated News