The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday revealed that it has launched a campaign against sexual predators.

BI commissioner Norman Tansingco led the kick off for the Project #ShieldKids Campaign, a three-tiered agency effort to curb the growth of sexual predators.

According to the Bureau, Project #Shieldkids seek to streamline government efforts against sex offenders in the country by institutionalizing a network of communication amongst government agencies involved in investigating and arresting pedophiles and traffickers.

Tansingco said that the project also solidifies the BI’s drive against sexual predators by prioritizing cases against foreign nationals that might be involved in the sex trafficking of children.

As part of the campaign, the BI has also opened up the Commissioner’s helpline via Facebook.com/immigration.helpline.ph, encouraging concerned citizens to report potential cases of child exploitation and abuse involving foreign nationals.

Tansingco said that they saw the need for a more focused approach against child exploitation upon seeing the rise of attempts by registered sex offenders to enter the country.

The BI added that in 2023 alone, the bureau excluded 171 foreign nationals who were previously convicted of sex crimes or are wanted for such cases.

Additionally, the BI has apprehended several pedophiles within Philippine borders. Among these arrests are noteworthy incidents like the December arrest of French pedophile Theddy Douglas Tissier in Makati and the November arrest of elderly pedophile David John Buckley in Cebu.