Filipino worker deported from US over video of him kissing son

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino worker at a cruise ship lost his job over a video showing him and his wife kissing their 3-year-old son on Valentine’s Day after US authorities considered it child pornography material and used it against him.

Romeo Samonte, an entertainment activity staff member of M/V Vision of the Sea, told the Senate committee on migrant workers on Wednesday that he took a leave of absence last year to attend his mother’s funeral.

Upon his return to the US, he was stopped at the airport and accused of possessing child pornography material.

“How can that be child pornography material? This is my son,” Samonte said.

READ: Filipino seafarers accused of consuming child porn seek Senate’s help

Access to email

To prove his innocence to the US authorities, he said he gave them access to his email address and social media accounts.

They also took his cell phone and gave it back after a month, but not before deleting the video in question.

Left without a job, Samonte said he had no choice but to drive a taxi cab here in the Philippines to support his family.

But he added that he still wants his old job back, saying he was open to being deployed to Asia and even working as just a dishwasher.

Samonte was just among the many Filipino seafarers who were deported to the Philippines for alleged possession of child pornography materials.

An investigation by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), however, revealed that some of those accused of accessing child pornography materials were “not randomly selected” by the US Customs and Border Protection.

“They were specifically, definitely, and categorically identified,” DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said during the Senate hearing. /cb

(2025/08/14-05:32)

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