The Bureau of Immigration (BI) barred 137 foreign nationals from entering the country in 2024 for being registered sex offenders.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the move is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to strengthen border security and protect vulnerable sectors from foreign threats.
“The Philippines will not be a safe haven for sex offenders. Our immigration laws expressly prohibit the entry of foreign nationals convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude, and we remain firm in keeping them out,” Viado said.
He added that aside from being denied entry, the excluded individuals were also placed on the BI’s blacklist of undesirable aliens, permanently banning them from entering the country.
Data showed that 109 Americans topped the list of those barred, followed by 12 Britons, five Australians, three Germans, and two Canadians. Also excluded were a citizen each from American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Japan, Ireland, and the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Of those intercepted, 112 were stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), while 20 were turned away at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and five at Clark International Airport.
Viado noted a decline in the number of foreign sex offenders attempting to enter the country, with 137 blocked in 2024 compared to 169 in 2023: “This decline shows that our message is clear—we will continue to shut our doors to these predators.”
The initiative is part of the #ShieldKids campaign, which focuses on protecting children from sexual predators and human traffickers.