BI bars 2 American pedophiles at Mactan airport and NAIA
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) prevented the entry of two suspected American pedophiles who reportedly attempted to enter the country last Jan. 13 through the Cebu Mactan International Airport (CMIA) and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
In a statement, the agency’s border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) identified the two undesirable aliens as 57-years-old Carvin Renee White and 47-year-old Scott Edward Edson.
White arrived at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) aboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong, while Edson disembarked at the NAIA Terminal 3 aboard a United Airlines flight from Guam.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the two Americans were immediately turned away after Immigration officers checked their records and confirmed that they were allegedly convicted for sex offenses in the United States.
They were also immediately booked on the first available flight to their ports of origin as a consequence of exclusion orders that were issued against them by immigration officers for being undesirable aliens.
Information provided by the US government revealed that in 2002 a court in Alabama reportedly convicted White for engaging in sexual misconduct against a 14-year-old girl.
On the other hand, Edson was allegedly convicted in 1994 for raping a 13-year-old child.
They have both been included in the BI’s blacklist and are banned from entering the Philippines.
It is only the first 15 days of January, but Tansingco observed that they have already intercepted five foreigners with records for being sex offenders.
“We have been warning these sex offenders that they are not welcome here. If we encounter them, we have no choice but to turn them back. We are duty-bound to prevent the entry of aliens who are deemed as excludable under our immigration laws,” said the BI Chief.
In 2023, the BI reported barred 171 registered sex offenders from entering the country.
Section 23(a) of the Philippine immigration act expressly prohibits the entry of aliens who have been charged or convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.