Officers from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) refused the entry of three more Americans on the grounds that they were convicted of sexual offenses.
According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, passengers were separately stopped at NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 on 11 and 14 April, when they arrived and attempted to enter the country as tourists.
"They were denied entry after our officers saw that they were put on our alert list for being registered sex offenders in the US; thus, they are deemed excludable aliens under our immigration act, which prohibits the entry of aliens convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude," Tansingco said.
The BI chief added that the passengers were immediately turned back and boarded on the first available flight to their port of origin.
"I have also directed that they be included in our blacklist and banned from entering the country," Tansingco said.
Edgar Javier Manalansan, a 74-year-old American who arrived at the NAIA 3 terminal on 11 April on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong, was the first passenger to be excluded.
The US embassy informed the BI that Manalansan was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault against a woman in her 60s by an Illinois court.
Also on 11 April, Jose Gonzalez Jr., 64, who arrived via a Philippine Airlines flight from New York, was also excluded at the NAIA 1 terminal.
According to the US government, Gonzalez has allegedly been on the US government's most wanted list since 2015 as a result of numerous criminal charges, including the possession of cocaine, theft, grand larceny, possession of a loaded firearm, kidnapping, and two first-degree rape cases.
On 14 April, BI officers at NAIA Terminal 1 intercepted and turned away 46-year-old Daniel Nevarez, who arrived via a United Airlines flight from Guam.
Nevarez, according to the US government, was convicted by a US court in 2013 on seven counts for the crime of engaging in lewd and lascivious acts against children aged 14 and 15 years.
