Several Filipino seafarers have sought assistance from the Senate after being deported from the United States when their ships entered US territorial waters, following accusations that they were involved in child pornography. Some claimed the alleged materials were innocent family videos.
During a Senate Committee on Migrant Workers hearing, M/V Carnival Sunshine crew member Earlson Jasmer Gamboa recounted that in July, while their ship was docked at the Port of Norfolk in Virginia, US Customs and Border Protection officers boarded the vessel to conduct electronic gadget inspections. He said no pornographic material was found in his phone gallery, yet he was among the Filipino crew members deported weeks later without explanation.
Another seafarer, Romeo Samonte of M/V Vision of the Seas, was accused of lewd conduct after authorities saw a video of him and his wife kissing their three-year-old son. He insisted it was an innocent family moment.
Senator Raffy Tulfo sought the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to obtain evidence from US immigration authorities that led to the deportations. Outgoing DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said the US has not filed criminal charges against the seafarers and considers the deportations an exercise of its sovereignty. He vowed to follow up with US authorities on the matter.
According to Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, a joint investigation by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) found that the deported Filipinos were crew members of passenger and cruise ships. A total of 93 seafarers have been deported, with 87 of them sent home after January 2025 under the current US administration. None of the 93 were arrested or charged with possession of child pornographic materials.
Before 2025, eight Filipino seafarers had been caught in possession of such materials; four were arrested, two were deported, and two are still on trial.
Last month, the Philippine Embassy in Washington issued a warning against the possession and distribution of child pornography in the US amid reports of rising incidents aboard ships within US waters. Since the administration of former US President Joe Biden, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Customs and Border Protection have conducted multiple arrests of cruise ship employees over alleged child pornography offenses.
