A total of 49 alien "sex offenders" had been barred entry to the Philippines for the first four months of 2024, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Saturday, May 25.
Most of those barred were from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, it said.
During the same period in 2023, a total of 64 foreign sex offenders were denied entry to the Philippines, it also said.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said: "This only shows that we are successful in our campaign to stop the entry of foreign sex offenders as it is deterring or discouraging other foreigners like them from coming here."
Tansingco also attributed the reduced number to the BI's Project #Shieldkids Campaign, which gathers information on possible sex predators that attempt to enter the Philippines. Because of intensified efforts to turn away "unwanted alients," he said that foreign pedophiles who once planned to visit the country have changed their mind.
He also said: "These sex offenders and pedophiles have forums and chatgroups wherein they discuss places where they can victimize people. We believe that the recent actions of the BI serves as a big deterrent in stopping the entry of these undesirables."
Thus, Tansingco declared the BI will relentlessly pursue it campaign against pedophiles to protect Filipino women and children from foreign sex predators.
"If we do not turn them back, our women and children are exposed to serious risk as anyone of them could be their next victim," he stressed.