BI bars entry of 150 sex offenders

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has expressed alarm over the increasing daily arrivals of foreign sex offenders, even after the bureau refused entry to 150 registered sex offenders (RSOs) since January. Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said immigration officials have been preventing several foreign sex offenders from entering the country almost on a daily basis. The latest interception happened on Wednesday when immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport barred the entry of Francisco Narvios Tecson, a 55-year-old American pedophile convicted of sexually molesting a child in the United States 13 years ago. —TINA G. SANTOS

DFA suspends e-visa system in China

The operations of the Philippine e-Visa system in China have been temporarily suspended until further notice, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Thursday. It advised visa applicants in China to contact the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate for further inquiries. The DFA provided no explanation for the suspension, but the move came weeks after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he would recommend to President Marcos to remove it from the DFA and contracting the private supplier Visa Facilitation Services Global, stressing that the service provider has more efficient ways of validating information submitted by visa applicants. —TINA G. SANTOS