35 foreign sex offenders barred from entering Philippines in 2020 — BI

35 foreign sex offenders barred from entering Philippines in 2020 — BI

The Philippines barred the entry of 35 foreigners who are registered sex offenders (RSOs) in their respective countries last year, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente said Tuesday.

“When encountered by our officers at the ports, these sex offenders are immediately turned back and booked on the first available flight to their port of origin,” Morente said.

He said the number of foreign sex offenders intercepted last year was lower than the 160 sex offenders recorded in 2019 due to travel restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the bureau, an RSO is a foreigner previously convicted of a sex crime in his country, who has finished serving his sentence or is out on parole or probation.

“Many of them are convicted pedophiles charged and found guilty of molesting minors,” the BI said.

The BI said it gets information on RSOs from its foreign counterparts so that they are immediately placed on the bureau’s blacklist.

“We will continue to ban the entry of these sex offenders into the Philippines as they pose a serious threat to the well-being of Filipino women and children,” Morente said. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News