The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is building a deportation case against an American pastor accused of physically abusing more than 160 children under his care in Pampanga.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado confirmed that 48-year-old Jeremy K. Ferguson, who allegedly ran a religious organization in Mexico town, Pampanga, is now facing legal action for the abuse of minors—acts that authorities described as cruel, systematic, and inhumane.
The case falls under the Marcos administration’s campaign to safeguard vulnerable communities, with Viado stressing that the agency’s #ShieldKids program is designed to protect Filipino children from exploitation by foreign nationals.
Official reports from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) detailed shocking accounts from victims. Children said they were beaten, starved, chained, and locked in rooms by Ferguson, who was arrested on August 13 by PNP Field Office III and Pampanga police operatives.
Viado condemned the abuse in the strongest terms, saying Ferguson’s actions represent “a kind of depravity that has no place in our country.”
“We will make sure this individual is expelled from the Philippines after facing his cases here, so he may never prey on our children again,” Viado declared. “Foreign nationals who think they can come here and harm our people will face the full force of the law and the wrath of our justice system.”
Authorities are now working closely with social workers to ensure that the rescued children receive medical care, counseling, and safe shelter as the legal proceedings against Ferguson continue.