NATION
British sex offender intercepted
Bowman was immediately excluded and boarded on the next available flight back to his port of origin
The Bureau of Immigration reported on Sunday that its officers at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport intercepted a British national believed to be a sex offender last 14 February 2024.
Officers from the BI-MCIA identified the passenger as Mark Andrew Bowman, a 54-year-old male who was stopped by BI personnel upon his arrival in Cebu on board via a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore.
Bowman was said to be planning to enter the country and stay in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, for almost a month.
According to Section 29(A)3 of Philippine immigration rules, Bowman was recognized as a registered sex offender after the BI received information from government intelligence sources that he had previously been found guilty of gross indecency with a 10-year-old child as his victim.
His name was immediately noticed when it turned up on the BI’s list of foreign nationals who had previously been found guilty of offenses involving moral turpitude.
BI commissioner Norman Tansingco said that they commend the swift and decisive action of their immigration officers at MCIA in intercepting this sexual predator and they remain steadfast in their commitment to ensuring the integrity of our borders.
Bowman was immediately excluded and boarded on the next available flight back to his port of origin.
Due to the exclusion, the agency has added his name to the BI Blacklist, preventing him from re-entering the country at any international port.