Blacklisted Aussie prof leaves PHL —BI

The elderly Australian professor barred entry to the Philippines for allegedly joining a rally has exited the country after almost a week in airline custody.

Gill Boehringer, an 84-year-old human rights advocate, boarded his flight back to Guangzhou, China, his port of origin, 12 noon Tuesday, Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval told GMA News Online.

Boehringer arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last August 8 and had been held there by virtue of a Philippine exclusion order until he was fit to travel.

Immigration authorities said he had landed in the government blacklist for participating in a protest rally in November 2015, a charge the former international election observer denies. A BI rule prohibits foreigners from joining "political activities."

Boehringer was originally scheduled to travel back to his port of origin in accordance with exclusion procedure last Thursday but was not boarded due to medical reasons.

His lawyers failed to convince the BI to let him into the country over his frail health, but he said he has instructed them to contest all allegations against him.

Sandoval earlier said Boehringer is allowed to request the lifting of his name from the blacklist. "If he submits sufficient proof to reverse the blacklist, it may be lifted accordingly," she said. — MDM, GMA News