BI launches drive against sexual predators

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday launched a campaign against sexual predators.

In a ceremony held at the GSIS Theater in Pasay City, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco led the launching of the Project #ShieldKids Campaign, which is a three-tier effort of the agency to combat the rise of sexual predators. Joining him in the said event were Deputy Commissioners Joel Anthony Viado and Daniel Laogan.

Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Head Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty served as the event’s guest speaker. Also in attendance was Undersecretary Angelo M. Tapales of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Project #Shieldkids endeavors to harmonize government efforts against sex offenders in the country by institutionalizing a network of communication amongst government agencies involved in investigating and arresting pedophiles and traffickers.

The project also solidifies the BI’s drive against sexual predators by prioritizing cases against foreign nationals that might be involved in sex trafficking of children.

Lastly, as part of the campaign, the BI has opened up the Commissioner’s helpline via Immigration PH 24/7 Helpline, encouraging concerned citizens to report potential cases of child exploitation and abuse involving foreign nationals.

Tansingco said that they saw the need for a more focused approach against child exploitation upon seeing the rise of attempts of registered sex offenders to entering the country.

In 2023 alone, the BI excluded 171 foreign nationals who were previously convicted of sex crimes, or are wanted for such cases.

The BI has likewise apprehended multiple pedophiles in Philippine soil. Notable among these arrests are cases such as the apprehension of French pedophile Theddy Douglas Tissier in Makati just last December, and the successful capture of octogenarian pedophile David John Buckley in Cebu last November.

“The threat against our children is real and is here. With the reopening of the country’s borders post-pandemic comes the rise of attempts of sexual predators to enter the country,” said Tansingco. “We must protect those who rely on us for their safety,” he added.

Tansingco encouraged citizens to immediately report sexual predators that might be in their communities to the BI.

“By protecting our children, we defend our future,” said Tansingco. “Let us all do our share in protecting the most vulnerable from these undesirable aliens,” he stated.