The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported the interception of foreign sex offenders at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as part of the agency’s campaign, to prevent the entry of aliens whose presence here poses a serious risk to Filipino women and children.
In a report to Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the BI’s Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) identified the passenger as 57-year-old Maik Bohr, who arrived Monday aboard a Cebu Pacific flight from the United Arab Emirates. The BI-BCIU said Bohr is now being booked on the next available flight to Dubai following his exclusion.
He disclosed that Bohr was denied entry based on a directive that Tansingco issued last month alerting all BI officers in the ports on the German national’s possible arrival in the country.
“Commissioner Tansingco issued the alert order after the Bureau received intelligence information tagging Bohr as being involved in child exploitation and abuse materials,” Cueto said.
Tansingco, meanwhile, stressed that the BI will not lower its guard, saying “we are always on the lookout for these sex offenders so they won’t be able to come here and victimize our women and children.”
German, American sex offenders stopped at NAIA
The BI Chief also expressed alarm over the continued attempts by foreign sex offenders to enter the country.
He explained that the BI’s campaign to combat sex tourism is not only focused on Americans, who account for the bulk of registered sex offenders (RSOs) who were turned back, but other nationalities as well.
Meanwhile, Tansingco also shared the exclusion of American national Lewis Steven Sterling, 67 on Monday after arriving on board an Eva Air flight from Taipei. Public records show that Sterling was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child, in violation of the Texas Penal code in 1998.
Both Bohr and Sterling will be included in the BI’s blacklist, preventing their entry to the country indefinitely.
Meanwhile, BI agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 intercepted a departing Filipino passenger en route to Malta last November 11 for presenting a fake pre-departure certificate.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the passenger was initially referred for secondary inspection for not possessing an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), despite acknowledging her intention to work in Malta.
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