A Filipino seafarer has appealed for help after losing his cruise ship job when a home video of him and his wife kissing their young son was deemed “child pornography” by United States authorities.
According to an Inquirer.net report, Romeo Samonte, formerly an entertainment activity staff aboard M/V Vision of the Sea, was returning to work after attending his mother’s funeral when he was stopped at a US airport. Officials accused him of possessing illicit material — the video in question showed the couple kissing their three-year-old child.
“Sir, it’s about my 3-year-old son — they were questioning why my wife and I kiss him,” Samonte told a Senate committee on migrant workers. He stressed, “But I never exploited, I never shared it… How can that be child pornography material. This is my son.”
Samonte said he willingly gave investigators access to his email and social media accounts. His phone was seized for a month, and the video was deleted before it was returned. Unable to resume his post, he has been working as a taxi driver in the Philippines but remains hopeful of getting back to sea, even in a lower position.
He is among several Filipino seafarers deported under similar allegations. The Department of Migrant Workers revealed that US Customs and Border Protection officers reportedly boarded ships with specific names already identified, directly approaching targeted crew members in their cabins.
