MANILA, Philippines — A total of 69 foreigners have been blocked from entering the Philippines from January to June this year for their involvement in sex-related crimes, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Friday.
Of the 69 foreigners, 58 were “registered sex offenders or persons with record of convictions for sex crimes in their respective countries,” according to the BI.
The remaining persons were “either subjects of pending complaints or are under investigation or prosecution for various sex offenses,” the bureau added.
A majority of the 69 sex offenders prohibited from entering the country were Americans at 48, followed by four Britons, two Australians, a German, an Indonesian, a Briton and one from Papua New Guinea, the BI said.
The 69 sex offenders recorded in the first half of 2024 were lower than the 84 registered in the same period last year, the BI said.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco attributed the accomplishment to the agency’s programs, which included “Project #Shieldkids, an intensified drive against foreign sexual predators attempting to stay or enter the country.