13 Pinays rescued from surrogacy scheme in Cambodia to undergo 'legal process'

Thirteen of the 20 Filipino women rescued in a "surrogacy scheme" in Cambodia will undergo a legal process before they can be repatriated back to the Philippines, Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia Flerida Camille Mayo said Thursday. 

In an interview with GMA Integrated News’ Ian Cruz, Mayo said that the remaining seven who were also supposed to undergo pregnancy by surrogacy but did not get pregnant will be repatriated back to the Philippines first.

“Our situation is, ‘iyong seven na hindi buntis, ayan ay mas maagang makakauwi. At ‘yan nga ang inaayos na namin ngayon. We are cooperating with the Cambodian police na sila ay maiuwi natin sa lalong madaling panahon,” Mayo said.

(The seven who are not pregnant, will be able to come home earlier. And that is what we are working on right now. We are cooperating with the Cambodian police so we can repatriate them as soon as possible.)

“Yung 13, they will have to undergo a legal process. And we are already engaging the services of a lawyer to help us navigate this process, so that they can be repatriated as soon as possible [too],” she added.

Surrogacy is illegal in Cambodia and violators face two to 20 years imprisonment, according to the ambassador.

Mayo, however, said the embassy did not have much detail on how the Cambodian authorities were able to rescue the 20 Filipino women.

“Sila 'yung natagpuan nga sa isang probinsya dito, [sa] Kandal province. We're not privy to the police operations there. Ang maganda rito, nakikipag-ugnayan naman sila sa amin na meron tayong citizens na natagpuan doon. From there, of course, [we already had a] very close coordination with the Cambodian police,” Mayo said.

(They were found in a province here, in Kandal. We're not privy to the police operations there. But the good thing here is we have close coordination with local authorities who reported that we have citizens found in the area.)

The Philippine envoy assured the public that the 20 women are safe and healthy.

“We visit them, and I can assure you that they're safe and well. The 13 are in the hospital and are well looked after now. They are receiving the care they need there as pregnant women. The other seven are in police custody,” Mayo said.

“We know that they need care packages for their hygiene and even 'yung meals nila, so we bring them food. For medical expenses, we also help, and also for legal representation. They are asking for Filipino food for their health and the health of the babies they are carrying. Each [group] is in the same room. The seven are together, and the 13 are together. Pareho naman ‘yan na naaalagaan (They are all well taken care of),” Mayo added.—Llanesca T. Panti/ VAL/AOL, GMA Integrated News