An American sex offender was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Manila on Wednesday.
James Russel Munson, 67, was seized along Roxas Boulevard in Ermita, Manila, reported the BI’s fugitive search unit (FSU) Chief Rendel Ryan Sy.
According to the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime and US authorities, Munson is a registered sex offender in his home country. He has previously been convicted of violation of a minor in the first degree.
Philippine immigration laws ban the entry of foreigners who have been proven guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude or depravity—this includes identified sex offenders.
The arrest, in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that vulnerable sectors are safeguarded against foreign predators, is also part of the BI’s Project "Shieldkids." It is an “intensified campaign” against foreign sexual predators whose presence in the country poses a risk, especially to children.
