2 American sex offenders barred from Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Two Americans previously convicted of sex crimes involving minors were barred from entering the country last week, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday.

Calvin Lee Spencer, 50, was turned away after he arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Los Angeles, California on Oct. 25, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.

The US government informed the BI that a Texas court sentenced Spencer to 10 years in prison in 2013 for molesting a 14-year-old girl.

Kevin David Bowens, 61, was denied entry when he arrived from Hong Kong on Oct. 28.

An Ohio court sentenced Bowens to five years in prison in 2005 for raping a 16-year-old girl, the US government said.

Americans convicted of sex offenses are required to register themselves with the US government and are called registered sex offenders (RSOs).

The US provides the BI on a regular basis the names and identities of RSOs who are believed to have entered or are about to enter the Philippines.

Philippine laws prohibit the entry of foreigners who have been previously convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.

Both Spencer and Bowens have been included in the BI’s blacklist, barring them from returning to the Philippines in the future.

5 Pinays stopped from leaving for Thailand

Meanwhile, five Filipinas who were recruited to work as teachers in Thailand allegedly posed as government workers in their attempt to leave the country, the BI said yesterday.

The five women tried to board a flight for Bangkok at the NAIA Terminal 3 on Oct. 24, Tansingco said.

Based on the report submitted by the bureau’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section, the five women reportedly presented dubious travel authority documents from government agencies where they are purportedly employed.

During questioning, they reportedly admitted that they were unemployed and that the travel authority certificates and other papers they presented were fake and were only given to them by their handlers.

At least two of the passengers admitted they each gave their recruiter more than P30,000 to facilitate their travel abroad.

Investigation further revealed that the victims were promised high-paying jobs as teachers in Thailand.

The BI said the name and identity of the alleged courier has been endorsed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for investigation and filing of appropriate charges.

Tansingco warned that many Filipinos recruited to work illegally abroad end up becoming slaves of crypto scam syndicates.

“Some of these victims have been rescued and repatriated to Manila and recounted stories about the bitter ordeal and even physical harm they suffered at the hands of their foreign employers,” he added.