DOJ assures legal aid to Filipinas trafficked in Cambodia

MANILA – The government will be providing legal assistance to the Filipinas trafficked in Cambodia to become surrogate mothers, a senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official said Tuesday.

Speaking at the sidelines of the 2nd regional meeting of Southeast Asia National Anti-Trafficking Committee, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said of the 20 Filipinas reportedly rescued by Cambodian authorities, seven may return to the Philippines soon while the 13 who are pregnant may face criminal liability as surrogacy is a criminal offense in Cambodia.

"Nasabi naman sa amin ng mga delegates ng Cambodia na nasa mabuting kondisyon ang mga Pilipinong andoon. 20 sila, 7 maari nang umuwi kasi hindi buntis. Yung 13 ay maiiwan habang sila ay nag-hihintay ng pag papanganak. Maaring humarap ng kasong kriminal. Ang pagiging surrogate ay kriminal na gawain para sa pamahalaan ng Cambodia (We were told by the delegates of Cambodia that the Filipinas are in good condition. Seven may go home immediately as they are not pregnant. Thirteen have to stay and wait for the completion of their pregnancy. Surrogacy is a crime for the Cambodian government)," Ty said.

"Yung counsel kasama to sa assistance to nationals na binibigay ng mga embahada natin sa mga kababayan natin na nabibiktima sa ibang bansa. So, alam ko ngayon ay nasa proseso na sila na mag-engage ng abogado na mag-represent sa mga Filipinas na ito sa kasong maari nilang harapin (Providing them counsel is among the assistance to nationals being given by our embassy. I know right now they are in the process of engaging lawyers who will represent them in the case," he added.

Ty said the Philippine embassy has already asked the Cambodian government not to treat the trafficked Filipinas as criminals.

But he added that these are sensitive discussions and must take into consideration the views of that country.

Ty said Cambodian officials also confirmed that aside from Filipinos, Vietnamese women were also victimized.

Meanwhile, Justice officials said the ongoing dialogue on human trafficking has resulted in closer ties between member countries in the fight against human trafficking.

The meeting was participated by Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam

Crucial to the discussions were identifying the roles that Southeast Asian nations play as a regional community to curb trafficking for forced criminality, the DOJ said.

Emphasis was placed on ensuring that victims rescued from these operations are properly identified and provided with much-needed protection and access to justice. (PNA)