Four convicted foreign sex offenders have been barred from entering the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Tuesday, March 19.
The BI identified the foreigners as Australian Romeo Monje, 89; German Ralf Bultschnieder; and Americans John Kenneth Hayes, 48, and Sherman Elliot Douglas, 64.
“As a consequence of their exclusion, all four were placed in the immigration blacklist of unwanted aliens who are perpetually banned from entering the country,” the BI said.
It said that Monje was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) alerted the BI on his trip to the Philippines from Sydney, Australia.
“Monje was reportedly convicted in Australia of eight counts of indecent assault wherein the victim was only 16 years old,” it also said.
It said that Hayes and Douglas arrived at the NAIA last March 14 and 15, respectively, from Taiwan.
“The BI’s Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) said a court in Florida convicted Hayes in 1998 for committing lewd assault and sexual battery against a 16-year-old victim,” it also said.
“On the other hand, US public records show that Douglas was convicted in 2020 for third degree sexual exploitation of a minor,” it added.
“German national Ralf Bultschnieder attempted to enter the country last March 18 on board a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul. Bultschnieder was stopped by immigration officers after receiving intelligence information on his possible involvement in exploitation activities and acts,” the BI said.