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BI denies entry to PH of 2 American sex offenders

Philippines | National

BI denies entry to PH of 2 American sex offenders

By Jeffrey Damicog

Two convicted American sex offenders have been denied entry at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and have been sent back to their ports of origin, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Sunday, Jan. 21.

“We cannot allow our country to be a hub for sex tourism,” declared BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco in a statement.

“Foreign pedophiles are not welcome here, thus they will be turned away the moment they step on our airports,” he assured.

Tansingco identified the two American registered sex offenders (RFOs) as Joseph Sami Sallaj, 30, and Eduardo Ison Balenbin, 72, who arrived at NAIA's Terminal 1 last Jan. 19 and 20, respectively.

“They were immediately sent back to their port of origin and placed in our blacklist to prevent them from entering the country should they attempt to return in the future,” he said.

Citing information from the United States government, the BI said “Sallaj was convicted in December 2012 by a court in Tennessee for the crime of sexual battery wherein the victim is a 12-year-old child.”

In the case of Balenbin, BI said that he was "convicted by a California court in May 2007 after being found guilty of engaging in lewd and lascivious acts with a child.”

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Bureau of Immigration

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