A total of 171 foreign sex offenders had been denied entry to the Philippines in 2023, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday, Jan. 5.

 “Their presence poses a serious risk to our women and children,” said BI Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco in a statement.

On top of denying entry, Tansingco said the foreign sex offenders were also included in the BI's blacklist of undesirable aliens.

He explained that the sex offenders were barred entry in line with the provision of the  Immigration Act which forbids the entry of foreigners who have been convicted or charged with crimes involving moral turpitude.  

He expressed alarm on the upsurge in the number of foreign sex offenders who attempted to enter the country in 2023.

Of those barred, “129 were Americans, 5 Britons, four Australians, four Irishmen, two Germans and two Chinese nationals, ” BI said.

“Of the 171 aliens, 153 were turned back for being registered sex offenders (RSOs) while the rest were either charged with sex crimes or are subjects of complaints for similar offenses,” it also said. 

The agency noted RSOs refer to “individuals who have been placed in a registry of sex offenders by their governments after their convictions, service of sentence or release on probation.”

“The practice enables authorities of a particular country to keep track of the sex offenders’ movements and warn their foreign counterparts if any of these individuals are traveling to the latter’s territory,” it explained.