Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque. YANCY LIM / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Australian nun Patricia Fox must leave the Philippines for violating the terms in her missionary visa, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this statement after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has ordered Australian nun Patricia Fox to leave the country after it forfeited her missionary visa for “her involvement in partisan politics.”
“We stand by the Bureau of Immigration’s order to forfeit Sister Patricia Fox‘s privilege of holding a missionary visa and to leave the Philippines,” Roque said in a statement.
He said “investigation has been conducted and was determined that the Australian missionary violated the terms and conditions of her visa.”
“Consequently, the same must be forfeited,” he said.
The Palace official quoted the BI, saying the order on Fox was “a visa forfeiture order [and] not a decision on the deportation case.”
“We forfeited her privilege of holding a missionary visa because of her activities which are in violation of the terms and conditions of her visa,” he said.
In a television interview, Roque said Fox should face the consequences of her actions for engaging in partisan politics while in the country.
“Dumaan naman po ito sa proseso. Nagkakaroon po ng preliminary investigation kung dapat nga ba siyang i-subject to deportation proceedings. Nagkaroon ng ebidensiya na talagang sumali siya sa mga political activities,” he said in an interview with GMA News.
(This has undergone certain process. Preliminary investigation has been conducted to determine if she would be subjected to deportation proceedings. There had been evidence that she indeed joined political activities.)
Roque had earlier released a photo of Fox speaking at a labor strike in Davao City on April 9.
“Pruweba po na talagang siya ay nanghihimasok at nakikiaalam at namumulitika dito sa ating bayan so yun naman po talaga ang consequence kapag ikaw ay lumabag doon sa terms and conditions ng kanyang visa,” he said.
(There is proof that she meddled with politics here in our country so this is the consequence when you violated the terms and conditions of your visa.)
“Ang visa niya po ay bilang isang missionary. Ang missionary work po ay isang divine act na ipakilala kung ano yung relihiyon mo, kumuha ka ng maraming mananampalataya kaya hindi po dapat namumulitika at dahil nag-violate po siya ng terms and conditions niya dapat siya umalis ng Pilipinas,” he added.
(Her visa is for missionary work. Missionary work is a divine act that you would introduce your religion, get a lot of faithful followers and not with acts of politicking, and since she violated the terms and condition, she should leave the Philippine.) /jpv
RELATED STORY
BI orders Australian nun Patricia Fox: Leave PH in 30 days