MANILA, Philippines — A Filipina who claimed she was headed to Thailand for a vacation was stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after immigration officers uncovered a suspected trafficking scheme that was allegedly sending her to Georgia to become a surrogate mother.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said on Monday that the passenger was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 1 after immigration officers spotted inconsistencies in her travel declarations and referred her for secondary inspection.
Viado said that she initially claimed to be traveling to Thailand for a vacation, but during questioning by the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section, she disclosed that her real destination was Georgia, where she was supposed to meet a Chinese known to her only as "Luca."
She said Luca was introduced to her by a Filipina acquaintance and that the arrangement was for her to become a surrogate mother and, in return, she was promised $400 a month during her pregnancy and another $600 after giving birth.
Immigration officers also recovered a Georgia e-visa and an itinerary showing that her journey would continue from Bangkok to Georgia through Shanghai, China, further raising questions about the true purpose of her trip.
The BI turned the woman over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assessment, protection and further investigation.
“This incident demonstrates how vigilance at our borders can help prevent the exploitation of Filipinos,” Viado said.
In March 2026, BI officers at NAIA Terminal 1 stopped a 31-year-old woman who claimed she was going to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper. Further checks showed she was scheduled to proceed to Beijing and then Tbilisi, Georgia, where she was allegedly recruited as a surrogate. She said she had been promised ₱490,000 after childbirth and had documents from a Georgian surrogacy facility.
