187 sex offenders barred from entering PH in 2017

More than a hundred registered sex offenders (RSOs) entering the Philippines were intercepted by authorities in 2017, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday.

In a report, BI port operations divisions chief Marc Red Mariñas said the sex offenders were denied entry after their passports revealed their derogatory records upon scanning at airport immigration counters.

Mariñas said 90% of intercepted sex felons attempted to enter the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila while the rest were stopped at the airports in Mactan, Cebu and Clark, Pampanga.

One hundred fifty-three Americans topped the list, followed by 19 Australians and 10 Britons, adding that an average of 10 to 15 RSOs are being turned back at the airports every month, according to the port operations chief.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said they have been cooperating with their counterparts abroad, including the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and police attaches of various embassies in Manila.

“These agencies have been continuously providing the BI with the names and identities of foreign sex offenders so the latter could be placed in the bureau’s blacklist and turned back if they attempt to enter the Philippines,” Morente said in a statement.

“These aliens pose a serious and real threat to our Filipino women and children, anyone of whom could be their next victim if they manage to enter our country undetected,” the BI chief said. /je