MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang announced late Friday, February 7, that Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet will go on an official visit to Manila from February 10 to 11.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Hun Manet will have a bilateral meeting on February 11 to “discuss advancing cooperation in combatting transnational crimes, defense, trade, tourism, regional and multilateral cooperation,” Malacañang said in a press statement.
Cambodia has been in the news for the presence of scamming hubs which had lured people from all over Asia, including the Philippines, with promises of legitimate jobs, only to be forced to work in cyber scam centers. In 2023, the Philippine government repatriated over 20 Filipinos who were rescued from these illegal sites.
In December, the Philippines repatriated 13 Filipinos who were jailed in Cambodia for acting as surrogates and violating Cambodia’s law against human trafficking.
Cambodia hosts around 7,000 Filipinos.
Marcos went to Cambodia in November 2022 for his first Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. Back then, Hun Manet’s father Hun Sen was still in power. – Rappler.com