Sex offenders barred from entering PH during holiday rush

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said it barred two sex offenders from entering the Philippines during the holiday season.

According to the BI, its personnel intercepted 39-year-old Zachary Thompson and 46-year-old Paul Caltharp at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

Thompson was prevented from entering after arriving from Los Angeles.

He was convicted in 2013 and 2015 for possessing obscene materials that depicted a minor in sexual conduct, and for annoying or molesting a child.

Meanwhile, Caltharp was barred on Dec. 27, 2023 after he arrived from Taipei. He was previously convicted of child molestation in 1998.

"Both aliens were immediately excluded and flown back to their port of origin. Their names have likewise been included in the BI blacklist of undesirable aliens," the BI said.

The bureau said Thompson and Calthrap are excludable aliens under the Immigration Act as it forbids the entry of aliens convicted of moral turpitude. — VDV, GMA Integrated News