THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) said its immigration inspectors in the different ports of entry barred from entering the country last year 171 foreign nationals with record of convictions or involvement in sex offenses.
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the aliens were turned away pursuant to a provision in the immigration act which forbids the entry of aliens who have been convicted or charged with crimes involving moral turpitude.
“They were also placed in our blacklist of undesirable aliens to make sure that they are excluded if they attempt again to come here in the future,” Tansingco said. “Their presence poses a serious risk to our women and children.”
Records also show that 129 Americans account for the bulk of the excluded sex offenders, followed by 15 Britons, four Australians, and four Irishmen. Also in the list are two Germans and two Chinese nationals.
Of the 171 aliens, 153 were turned back for being registered sex offenders (RSOs) while the rest were either charged with sex crimes or are subjects of complaints for similar offenses.
RSOs refer to individuals who have been placed in a registry of sex offenders by their governments after their convictions, service of sentence or release on probation. The practice enables authorities of a particular country to keep track of the sex offenders’ movements and warn their foreign counterparts if any of these individuals are traveling to the latter’s territory.
Tansingco earlier expressed alarm over the upsurge in arrival of alien sex offenders at the airports which started after the COVID-19 pandemic ended.
He assured the public that the BI will never allow these aliens to enter the Philippines not only because it is prohibited by law but because they threaten the well-being of Filipino women and children, any of whom could be their next victim.
