BI-FSU arrests Canadian national flagged as child sex offender, strengthens #ShieldKids campaign

Sta. Rosa City- In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to strengthen border security and protect vulnerable sectors from transnational crime, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested a 72-year-old Canadian national flagged by Canadian authorities as a potential threat to children following his documented history of sexual offenses abroad.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the foreign national as Orville Frank Mader, who was arrested on the evening of June 30 at a residential area in Barangay Caingin, Santa Rosa City, Laguna by operatives of the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit (FSU).

According to BI-FSU Chief Rendel Ryan Sy, the operation was conducted in coordination with the Canadian authorities and several Philippine intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

Canadian authorities alerted the BI to Mader’s presence in the Philippines after confirming that his Canadian passport had been cancelled. While he is not currently facing a criminal prosecution in Canada, the RCMP and CBSA advised Philippine authorities that he has a documented criminal history involving sexual offenses against children and may pose a potential risk to minors.

Records shared with the BI showed that Mader had been apprehended on two separate occasions for alleged sexual offenses against children, in 2016 and again in 2022. Canadian authorities also reported a long-documented pattern of similar offenses in Thailand and Cambodia dating back to the early 2000s.

BI records showed that Mader last entered the Philippines on September 29, 2015 as a temporary visitor and has remained in the country without securing any subsequent extension of stay, making him an undocumented and overstaying foreign national.

“The BI will never allow foreign predators to stay in our country,” said Viado. “Protecting Filipino families is among our highest priorities. Through our #ShieldKids campaign, we are intensifying operations against foreign sexual predators and working closely with our local and international partners to ensure they are located, arrested, and removed from our communities.”

Viado commended the efforts of the FSU for continuously prioritizing cases involving foreign nationals with histories of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

He likewise encouraged the public to report suspected foreign sexual predators or child exploitation activities to the Bureau of Immigration or through the Council for the Welfare of Children’s Makabata Helpline 1383 to support the government’s #ShieldKids campaign.

Mader was taken into BI custody and will undergo deportation proceedings for violating Philippine immigration laws. #