BI prevents 7 US sex offenders from entering PH

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) prevented seven American sex offenders from entering the Philippines in January, with six intercepted at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and one at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado stated that these individuals were identified as Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) in the BI database.

The exclusion aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s commitment to protecting children and preventing foreign criminals from entering the country.

The BI cited a provision in the Philippine Immigration Act that prohibits the entry of foreigners convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.

BI border control and intelligence unit chief Ferdinand Tendenilla confirmed that all intercepted individuals were sent back to their ports of origin a day after they were intercepted.

One case involved Rodrigo Navarro, convicted in 2014 for possession and control of obscene materials depicting a minor in sexual conduct, who was intercepted on January 6.

Another case involved Wayne Mitchell Blakely, who was denied entry on January 14 and was convicted in the US in 2002 for sexual molestation of a minor.