Day: March 28, 2024

MANILA: Immigration authorities have turned back four sex offenders and prevented them from entering the country in international airports during the Holy Week travel season.

In a statement Thursday, Commissioner Norman Tansingco said these include three Americans and one British national who are registered sex offenders (RSOs).

On Maundy Thursday, 55-year-old US national Ennis Cheko Montgomery, was barred after arriving on board a United Airlines flight from San Francisco.

He was convicted in 1989 for predatory criminal sexual assault against an 11-year-old victim.

On Holy Wednesday, British man Malcolm Frederick Beaumont, 79, was intercepted upon his arrival onboard an Emirates flight from Dubai.

He was convicted in 2012 and in 2017 for making indecent images of children.

Another American identified as Vincent Mariano Espinal Jr., 39, who flew in via a Philippine Airlines flight from Guam, was barred last March 22 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

The foreigner was convicte
d in 2008 in Guam for one count of third degree criminal sexual conduct as a second-degree felony. A 2009 news article described him of being accused of having sexual relations with a female minor.

On the other hand, American Chad Heitz, 44, was excluded last March 16 at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) after arriving aboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong.

It was learned that a US district court in Michigan convicted Heitz in 2013 on one count of criminal sexual misconduct wherein the victim is a 15-year-old minor.

All four were included in the immigration blacklist, effectively banning them from entering the country.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Immigration authorities have turned back four sex offenders and prevented them from entering the country in international airports during the Holy Week travel season.

In a statement Thursday, Commissioner Norman Tansingco said these include three Americans and one British national who are registered sex offenders (RSOs).

On Maundy Thursday, 55-year-old US national Ennis Cheko Montgomery, was barred after arriving on board a United Airlines flight from San Francisco.

He was convicted in 1989 for predatory criminal sexual assault against an 11-year-old victim.

On Holy Wednesday, British man Malcolm Frederick Beaumont, 79, was intercepted upon his arrival onboard an Emirates flight from Dubai.

He was convicted in 2012 and in 2017 for making indecent images of children.

Another American identified as Vincent Mariano Espinal Jr., 39, who flew in via a Philippine Airlines flight from Guam, was barred last March 22 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

The foreigner was convicte
d in 2008 in Guam for one count of third degree criminal sexual conduct as a second-degree felony. A 2009 news article described him of being accused of having sexual relations with a female minor.

On the other hand, American Chad Heitz, 44, was excluded last March 16 at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) after arriving aboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong.

It was learned that a US district court in Michigan convicted Heitz in 2013 on one count of criminal sexual misconduct wherein the victim is a 15-year-old minor.

All four were included in the immigration blacklist, effectively banning them from entering the country.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) and Australia have partnered on business process management (BPM) to help the Philippines improve its government processes.

Last week, 10 personnel from the ARTA received training on BPM and System Dynamics from the Australia Embassy in Manila in collaboration with the Australia Award and Alumni Engagement Program and Queensland University of Technology.

In a release on Thursday, ARTA thanked the Australian government and Ambassador HK Yu for the technical aid, which sought to capacitate ARTA personnel in ‘redefining Philippine bureaucracy.’

The training ran from March 18 to 22 and advanced the participants’ knowledge of the principles of BPM.

Systems thinking in the review and reengineering of systems and procedures of government through the application of Systems Dynamics were also introduced to the participants, which sought to help them improve their conduct of process reviews.

Through this training, the ARTA said the participants were able to develop holist
ic intervention mechanisms and engagement strategies in communicating process improvement.

“We are thankful with Ambassador Yu’s continued support to the vision of President [Ferdinand R.] Marcos Jr.’s efficient government service. I am overjoyed that an exceptional nation for regulatory processes, such as Australia, can share their expertise with us,’ ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez said.

Representatives from the Civil Service Commission, the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Economic and Development Authority, and the Professional Regulation Commission also joined the training.

The Australian Embassy has been a staunch supporter of ARTA on the implementation of Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business Law.

Under the Bagong Pilipinas, the ARTA said it will continue welcoming assistance from foreign governments in its journey to establish a more inclusi
ve, business-enabling environment that facilitates ease of doing business through good regulatory practices and efficient government services.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The 7-Eleven Cliqq Road Bike Philippines is set to compete in two races in Thailand.

Rench Michael Bondoc, Jude Gabriel Francisco, Ryan Tugawin, Joshua Pascual, Efren Reyes Jr. and Rex Luis Krogg will join the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Bueng Si Fai International Road race (Class 1.2) on March 30, and in the Princes Maja Chakri Shirindorn’s Cup (Class 2.1) on April 1-6.

The six Filipinos are part of the 13-member 7-Eleven squad, which also has riders from Japan (Daisuke Kaneko, Karro Kojima, Kenta Nagai, and Hayato Nishio) and Eritrea (Even Yemane and Aklilu Ghebrehiwet).

According to Director Ric Rodriguez, two or more Filipinos will be included in every race so they can improve their skills with the help of foreign riders.

Victor Paterno, the owner of 7-Eleven Cliqq Road Bike Philippines, which is now on its 13th year as a professional team, and founder Engr. Bong Sual want to develop Filipino riders who are 23 years and under.

The 7-Eleven cyclists are supervised by performance coach
Robert Herbert Jr., one of the first batch of certified UCI level 4 mentors.

Source: Philippines News Agency