Manila: Bureau of Immigration (BI) fugitive search unit (FSU) operatives have arrested in Manila an American man tagged as a sex offender in his home country. In a statement on Thursday, BI FSU chief Rendel Ryan Sy said James Russel Munson, 67, was apprehended Wednesday along Roxas Boulevard in Ermita district. No further details were given, however, with regard to circumstances surrounding the arrest.
According to Philippines News Agency, information from the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime and US authorities indicates that Munson was convicted for being a child sex offender. Sy stated that Philippine immigration laws prohibit the entry of foreign nationals previously convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, which includes registered sex offenders.
Munson will remain in the BI’s custody and will face deportation proceedings and eventual blacklisting. The BI said the arrest is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure the protection of vulnerable sectors of society from foreign predators.
