Marcos thanks Cambodian King for pardoning Filipino surrogates
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet troops the line during a welcome ceremony in Kalayaan Grounds in Malacañang Palace, in Manila on February 11, 2025. PHOTOS BY YUMMIE DINGDING / PPA POOL
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday thanked the sovereign of the Kingdom of Cambodia for pardoning 13 Filipino women arrested for surrogacy.
Marcos conveyed this personally to Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, who is in the country for a two-day visit.
“Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude to His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni for the grant of Royal Pardon to 13 Filipino surrogates, and to your government for the assistance given to them during their time in Cambodia,” Marcos told Hun.
READ: Marcos welcomes Cambodian PM in Malacañang Palace
“We will never forget this act of magnanimity from His Majesty, a testament to the strong relations between our two countries.
“Rest assured we will continue to stand with you in the fight against transnational crimes and their adverse effects on our peoples and on our communities,” he continued.
READ: 13 surrogates pardoned by Cambodia, back in PH
The Filipino women were arrested in Cambodia’s Kandal province in September 2024 and have since returned to the country the same year.
In 2016, Cambodia issued a ban on commercial surrogacy.
