Cebu: The Bureau of Immigration (BI) denied entry to a United States national previously convicted of a sex-related crime involving a minor. Matthew Stephen Gross, 36, was intercepted at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Monday upon his arrival from Taipei, the BI said in a news release on Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado stated that the foreigner was immediately sent back to his port of origin under immigration exclusion proceedings. Viado emphasized that the exclusion is part of the BI's intensified efforts to protect vulnerable sectors, particularly children, under its flagship Shield Kids campaign.

"Protecting children from sexual predators is a moral obligation, not just a legal one. Foreign nationals with a history of sex crimes, especially those involving minors, have no place in the Philippines," the BI chief said. Gross was convicted in the US in 2012 for second-degree sex abuse involving a 17-year-old. He has been added to the BI blacklist, permanently barring him from future entry into the Philippines.

Under existing immigration rules, individuals convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude, including sexual offenses, may be denied entry for being a threat to public interest and safety.