2 Americans barred from Philippines over child molestation cases

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) recently prevented two Americans, both registered sex offenders (RSOs), from entering the country.

In a statement yesterday, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that under the country’s immigration law, Zachary Tyler Thompson and Paul Neal Coltharp are forbidden to enter since they were convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.

Thompson, 39, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA-1) from Los Angeles, California. The BI did not state the date of Thompson’s arrival.

He was convicted in 2013 and 2015 for possessing obscene materials depicting a minor in sexual conduct and for molesting a child, according to the BI.

Coltharp, 46, arrived at NAIA-1 on Dec. 27, 2023 from Taipei, Taiwan.

Based on the information shared by the US government, a California court convicted Coltharp of child molestation in 1998 wherein the victim was a 14-year-old girl.

The two foreigners were immediately excluded and flown back to their ports of origin. Their names were also included in the BI’s blacklist of undesirable aliens.