PH bars entry of 7 convicted sex offenders —BI

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday said it had barred the entry of seven American sex offenders in the Philippines. 

In a news release, the BI said passengers Dustin Patrick Auvil, 57; Daniel Russell Eoff, 34; Francisco Javier Alvarado, 39; Michael Allen Turner, 41; Matthew Thorin Wall, 46; Todd Lawrence Burchett, 41; and William Emil Wanket, 40 were intercepted on separate dates at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Mactan airport in Cebu. 

“They were immediately denied entry after our primary officers and their supervisors discovered that they are registered sex offenders (RSOs) due to their record of convictions for sex crimes they committed against minor victims,” said BI officer-in-charge Joel Anthony Viado.

“They were all turned away and boarded on the next available flight to their port of origin. And as a consequence of their exclusion, they were included in our blacklist and banned from entering the Philippines,” Viado said.

The foreigners were denied entry pursuant to the Philippine immigration act which prohibits the entry of aliens convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.

On August 22, Auvil arrived at the NAIA from San Francisco, USA. He was convicted in 2006 for sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl. Eoff likewise arrived in the country on the same date from Tokyo. He was convicted of second-degree sexual assault against a six-year-old child in 2013.

Meanwhile, Alvarado visited the country on August 23. He was convicted in 2017 of child pornography for possessing obscene material depicting a minor in sexual conduct.

Turner arrived from Hong Kong on August 24 at the Mactan airport. He was convicted in 2003 of sexual assault of a child in the second degree.

Immigration officials intercepted Wall on August 28 after arriving from Taiwan. He was convicted in 1999 for sexual penetration of and sexual copulation with an 18-year-old victim.

On September 4, Burchett arrived from Qatar at the NAIA and was excluded. He was convicted in 2014 for gross sexual imposition involving a 13-year-old victim.

On September 10, Wanket was denied entry at the NAIA after arriving from Guam. He was convicted in 2006 for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl.—LDF, GMA Integrated News