The Philippine Embassy in Washington has issued an advisory against possession and distribution of child pornography in the US amid “increasing incidents onboard vessels in American waters.”
“In view of increasing incidents of arrests, detention and deportation of individuals due to child pornography-related offenses, the Philippine embassy reminds the members of the Filipino community and overseas Filipino workers in the United States and onboard vessels in US territorial waters, that child pornography is one of the worst forms of child exploitation and to consume it perpetuates such exploitation,” the embassy said on July 19.
The embassy did not mention a specific incident but the statement was made after US online news Wavy said the Filipino workers of Carnival Sunshine cruise line, all bearing valid 10-year C-1/D visas, were “forcibly removed in handcuffs” by Customs and Border Patrol officers at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia.
Officers reportedly told the workers they were accused of possessing child pornography,
“In this regard, everyone is enjoined to desist from downloading, possessing, viewing, transporting, distributing and selling child pornography,” said the embassy advisory.
GMA News Online has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers for comment, but they have yet to reply as of posting time.
Arrests
Since the Biden administration, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Customs and Border Protection have conducted a series of arrests of cruise ship employees due to alleged child pornography.
Aquilina Soriano Versoza, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center, and other members of the group protested the arrest outside the cruise ship, saying the Filipinos were abruptly removed despite lack of evidence and due legal process.
The embassy, on the other hand, said it “respects the right of individuals to seek redress of grievances or take legal action if they feel they have been wrongly accused of legal infractions.”
“Please contact the Philippine embassy or the nearest Philippine consulate general and migrant workers office for consular and welfare assistance,” it said.
The Philippines is one of the world’s largest providers of shipping manpower in the world.
A bulk of Filipino seamen or more than 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 million sailors are manning oil tankers, cargo ships, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
