MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) denied entry to two foreign nationals tagged as sex offenders in separate incidents in Cebu and Manila, the agency said, as part of its ongoing #ShieldKids campaign to protect Filipino children from exploitation.

On January 6, the BI stopped a 63-year-old Swedish national, Borje Millert Hultberg, at Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Hultberg arrived from Sweden via Hong Kong on a Cathay Pacific flight and was flagged after Nordic law enforcement informed the BI that he had been convicted in 2023 for possession of child pornography.

On the same day, a 52-year-old U.S. national, Rene Reyna, was denied entry at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. Reyna had flown from Los Angeles to Manila on a Philippine Airlines flight and was previously convicted in Texas in 2013 for indecency with a child by contact, with the victim aged 16.

“Philippine immigration laws are clear: individuals with prior convictions involving moral turpitude, particularly crimes against children, will not be allowed entry into our country. We will continue to work tirelessly to shield our children from exploitation through programs like #ShieldKids,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

Both foreign nationals were refused entry and added to the BI’s blacklist. The #ShieldKids campaign aims to prevent child exploitation through the exclusion of registered sex offenders, enhanced intelligence sharing, and international law enforcement cooperation.

“The protection of children is non-negotiable. We encourage the public to report suspicious foreign nationals that might be engaged in activities that threaten our youth,” Viado added.