Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) barred from entering the country two more Americans who were previously convicted of sex crimes.
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the two passengers as Calvin Lee Spencer, 50, and Kevin David Bowens, 61, who were turned back on separate occasions at NAIA Terminals 1 and 3, respectively.
Tansingco said Spencer was intercepted last October 25 after he arrived aboard a Philippine Airlines flight from Los Angeles, California.
The United States (US) government informed the BI that a court in Texas sentenced Spencer to ten years in prison in 2013 after being found guilty of molesting a 14-year-old female victim.
Bowens, meanwhile, was denied entry on October 28 when he arrived via a Cebu Pacific flight from Hongkong. The US government said that in 2005, a US court in Ohio convicted and sentenced Bowens to five years in prison for raping 16-year-old girl.
Americans convicted of sex offenses are required to register themselves with the authorities in their country, thus they are called registered sex offenders (RSOs). The US provides the BI on a regular basis the names and identities of RSOs who are believed to have entered or are about to enter the Philippines.
Philippine laws prohibit the entry of foreign nationals who have been previously convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.
Both Spencer and Bowens have been included in the BI’s blacklist, barring them from returning to the Philippines in the future.
Barangay, SK elections begin today
The 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in the country are scheduled today.
Voters are expected to flock to schools and malls to vote for their favorite candidates.
Polling will begin at 7 am and will end at 3 pm only.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) once again reminded voters and candidates to abide by the rules set by the poll body for the election.
Meanwhile, since this Sunday, a nationwide liquor ban in the country has also begun in connection with the said election.
Its implementation will last until the election day itself this Monday.
The Comelec has also strictly prohibited the campaigning of candidates since this Sunday, and anyone who violates it has been warned to face disqualification and imprisonment.
It is known that 42,001 barangay chiefs and SK chairpersons are slated to be installed by voters.
A total of 294,007 seats are contested for barangay kagawad and 295,007 SK kagawad.
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