Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers have arrested a British national at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Thursday, June 6, for his alleged involvement in a prostitution racket in his home country.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said William Hughes, 79, was intercepted at the premier port just before he was scheduled to board his flight to Doha, Qatar.
Hughes initially arrived in Manila on May 16 as a tourist but subsequent information was received by the BI from the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.
According to the agency, Hughes had been implicated and convicted in a crime related to prostitution, specifically the exploitation of children for monetary gain.
In fact, he has been listed in the UK's Sex Offenders' register for life due to his involvement in such illicit activities.
Prompted by this information, the BI initiated deportation proceedings against Hughes.
Tansingco said sex offenders who may prey upon children "are not welcome in the Philippines and do not deserve our nation's hospitality and will be expelled and blacklisted."
Hughes is detained at the BI detention center in Taguig City pending his deportation.