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Mary Ann Benitez

The Philippine consulate in Hong Kong is investigating allegations that domestic helpers are being recruited in the city to become surrogate mothers for couples in other countries for up to 1 million pesos (US$16,220).
At least five Filipino domestic helpers recruited in Hong Kong said they were not paid the promised amount despite carrying babies to full term, with one woman told that the child born from surrogacy had “defects”.
The consulate told the South China Morning Post that it was looking into the alleged human trafficking cases, with initial investigations showing that the women, aged between 25 and 35, were being lured by social media adverts posted by former helpers who had relocated to Central Asia.
Cesar Chavez Jnr, the Philippine labour attache in Hong Kong, said that discussions with the Hong Kong government on the surrogacy scheme were at an initial stage, but added that disclosing more information “would trigger unwarranted pressure”.
The consulate also said: “Efforts are being undertaken at various levels to find solutions to this issue.”
But it said it could not comment further so as not to pre-empt discussions “with relevant stakeholders and to preclude those involved in the scheme from learning of interventions on this matter”.
Hong Kong’s Security Bureau said the Philippine consulate had not brought the cases to its attention, but urged anyone who suspected that they had been trafficked to seek help from law enforcement agencies.
It stressed that human trafficking “has never been a prevalent problem in Hong Kong”, adding that the city had a well-established legislative framework against such crimes and had adopted a proactive stance.
A search by the SCMP found that Facebook pages popular with Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong contained posts seeking surrogate mothers for couples in Europe.
One offering “$10,000 of compensation, visa, ticket, travel insurance and hotel booking” had attracted 21 likes, 22 comments and two shares. The currency was not specified.
Many ridiculed the post in the comments.
At a meeting in Hong Kong on July 5, Chavez appealed to about 200 association leaders for Filipino domestic workers to warn relatives back home and in the city about the issue.
Chavez said the cases already uncovered could be just the tip of the iceberg, as those who acted as surrogates without obvious issues were unlikely to seek help.
“Initial reports indicate that OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] were recruited through networks of traffickers with associates based in the Philippines, Hong Kong and particular Central Asian countries,” the consulate said.
“The victims appear to have been recruited via online ads posted by former OFWs in Hong Kong. These former OFWs now work for the trafficking groups and are now based in the same country as the syndicate. The former OFWs recruit new victims through Facebook group chats and WhatsApp messages.”
The consulate added that it was investigating whether the networks operated through any agencies for helpers or relied on more informal channels.
Chavez cited a case where a surrogate mother had alleged that she was not paid the promised fee as clients had claimed the newborn baby had “some defects”.
Consul Von Ryan Ferrera explained at the event that the women recruited in Hong Kong travelled to a third destination, where they would serve as surrogate mothers after being “promised a fee of half a million to a million [pesos]”.
The consulate said the uncovered cases generally involved “the same modus operandi”, with the victims previously working as helpers in Hong Kong.
“Details are still being verified, but it appears that these victims posed as tourists and transited through Hong Kong to a particular destination country. It is in that country where they will undergo IVF and stay until the birth of the child,” it said.


The Health Bureau said the government’s policy was neither to oppose nor actively encourage the use of surrogacy arrangements.
“Surrogacy arrangements are nonetheless regulated to safeguard the role of families, welfare of children born, the health and safety of relevant persons involved, as well as prevent abuse of the arrangement, and to ensure that all parties involved in the relevant arrangements are aware of the risks and consequences that they should bear,” it said.
But it noted that the Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance sections 17 and 18 prohibited surrogacy arrangements “on a commercial or enforceable basis, and advertisements relating to such commercial dealings”.
“The advertisement includes any form of advertising whether to the public generally, to any section of the public or individually to selected persons,” the bureau said.
It added that, as of July 1, none of the 19 reproductive technology treatment centres in Hong Kong held a licence that “specifies surrogacy arrangements as a permitted specified activity”.
The consulate said it was working with the Philippine Bureau of Immigration on identifying potential victims and fully apprising them of the risks.
It also shared a general advisory on Facebook to help prevent potential victims from falling foul of human trafficking, including warning against taking up jobs on tourist visas or accepting positions offered by unlicensed intermediaries posted online.
Patricia Yvonne Caunan, a visiting administrator for the Philippines’ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, warned at the event of another scam promising helpers in Hong Kong lucrative work in Poland.
She said scammers required helpers to pay hefty recruitment fees, only for the women to earn about €1,000 (US$1,140) a month – a figure far below the promised wage.
Caunan also recalled attending a meeting in Warsaw last month where all 500 helpers who attended complained of paying 300,000 to 400,000 pesos to work in Poland.
Most of the scam victims had come from jobs in Hong Kong and flown to the country after being hired, she said.


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Consulate investigates alleged human trafficking cases, warns that women have been recruited through social media posts by former helpers


Consulate investigates alleged human trafficking cases, warns that women have been recruited through social media posts by former helpers.


Filipino workers in Hong Kong allegedly recruited as surrogates for overseas couples

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Consulate investigates alleged human trafficking cases, warns that women have been recruited through social media posts by former helpers

Consulate investigates alleged human trafficking cases, warns that women have been recruited through social media posts by former helpers