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Marcos expressed his gratitude in a meeting with Cambodian Prime
Minister Hun Manet, who was visiting Manila for talks on
expanding trade, agricultural, tourism, cultural and security
relations.
The Philippines and Cambodia both belong to the 10-nation
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional bloc that
promotes economic integration but is divided on other issues,
including countries whose security alignments is with the United
States or China.
Marcos has strengthened his country’s treaty alliance with the
United States to boost the Philippines’ external defense as it
confronts China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the
disputed South China Sea. Cambodia has long been known as a key
backer of China in the region.
The 13 Filipino women were convicted in December in Cambodia on
human trafficking-related charges for acting as surrogates for a
criminal syndicate selling babies to foreigners for cash.
The women, who were in various stages of pregnancy, were each
sentenced to four years in prison by a Cambodian court, but they
avoided imprisonment and were instead flown back to the
Philippines under a royal pardon granted by Cambodian King
Norodom Sihamoni.
"We will never forget this act of magnanimity from His Majesty,
a testament to the strong relations between our two countries,”
Marcos said before a closed-door meeting with the Cambodian
premier and his delegation in Manila.
"We will continue to stand with you in the fight against
transnational crimes and their adverse effects on our peoples
and on our communities,” Marcos said.
The Filipino women were charged for violating a Cambodian law
against human trafficking and sexual exploitation which was
updated in 2016 to ban commercial surrogacy. Cambodia has become
a popular destination for foreigners seeking women to give birth
to their children.
It has a bad reputation for human trafficking, especially in
connection with online scams in which illegally recruited
foreigners work under conditions of virtual slavery and help
perpetrate online criminal fraud that victimize citizens in
other countries.
Several agreements were signed after Hun Manet’s meeting with
Marcos, mostly aimed at boosting trade, investment, tourism and
agricultural engagements. One agreement aims to prevent looting
and illicit trafficking of cultural artifacts.
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