5 convicted sex offenders barred from Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Four Americans and a Briton, all convicted sex offenders, were prevented from entering the country by immigration officers, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday.

Four of the registered sex offenders were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA-1) while the fifth was turned away at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), according to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco.

“They were included in our blacklist, thus they are perpetually barred from entering the Philippines,” he said.

“They were denied entry as their presence here could pose a serious risk to our women and children,” Tansingco added.

He reiterated that the Philippine Immigration Act provides for the outright exclusion of aliens convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude, and added that the BI launched its Project #Shieldkids campaign to aggressively locate, arrest and deport foreign sex offenders.

Alexander Balay, 33, was intercepted at the NAIA-1 on May 21 after arriving from Tokyo. He was convicted of possession and intent to distribute child pornography by a court in Alabama.

The next day, Briton Vincent John Cherer, 54, was also turned away at NAIA-1 after flying in from Chengdu, China. He was previously convicted of child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom.

On May 27, American Wallance Lynn Wendel, 71, was also excluded at the same terminal after arriving from Incheon, South Korea. He was convicted of sexual assault by a court in Arizona. Apart from this, he was also convicted of homicide and burglary.

American Kevin Edwin Daughtrey, 49, was turned away at the MCIA on May 27 after he arrived from Taipei. He was convicted by a court in Florida of sexual offense against a minor.

On May 28, American Billy Ray Robertson Jr. was intercepted at the NAIA-1. He was convicted by a court in Nevada in 1989 for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.