BI bars two foreign sex offenders at NAIA

As part of its drive to stop the admission of foreign nationals whose presence in the country poses a major risk to Filipino women and children, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) stated that foreign sexual offenders were recently intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In a report given to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the BI Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BI-BCIU) identified the passenger as Maik Bohr, a 57-year-old German national, who arrived in the country last Monday 13 November via a Cebu Pacific flight from the United Arab Emirates.

After his exclusion, Bohr was immediately booked on the next available flight back to his port of origin.

The BI-BCIU disclosed that Bohr was denied entry based on a directive that Commissioner Tansingco issued last month alerting all BI officers in all international ports to the possible arrival of a German national in the country.

BI-BCIU Deputy Chief for Operation said that Commissioner Tansingco issued an alert order after the Bureau received intelligence information tagging Bohr as being involved in child exploitation and abuse materials.

Meanwhile, BI Commissioner Tansingco stressed that the bureau will not lower its guard. It will always on the lookout for those sex offenders, so they won't be able to come here and victimize Filipino women and children.

The BI chief also expressed alarm over the continued attempts by foreign sex offenders to enter the country.

Tansingco explained that the BI's campaign to combat sex tourism is not only focused on Americans, who account for the bulk of registered sex offenders (RSOs) who were turned back, but other nationalities as well.

He also shared the recent exclusion of an American national who was identified as 67-year-old Lewis Steven Sterling after he arrived in the country via an Eva Air flight from Taipei.

According to public records, Sterling was found guilty in 1998 of violating the Texas Penal Code by engaging in aggravated sexual assault on a child.

Both Bohr and Sterling's names were already included in the BI's blacklist, preventing their re-entry into the country.