Gov’t revokes visa of Dutch missionary

MANILA, Philippines — The government has revoked the visa of a Dutch permanent resident in the country who has served as a labor rights advocate for more than 30 years over his supposed links to “terrorist groups.”

But labor group Defend Jobs Philippines belied the accusation against Otto De Vries, a lay missionary from the Diocese of Rotterdam in the Netherlands currently working with the Ecumenical Institute of Labor Education and Research.

Defend Jobs spokesperson Christian Lloyd Magsoy said their members and workers who met De Vries in factory strikes, picket lines, workers’ seminars and gatherings around Metro Manila could vouch for the work he had been doing for human rights and his labor advocacies.

De Vries recently received an order from the Bureau of Immigration canceling his permanent visa based on a letter from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency accusing him of involvement in terrorist activities.

—Dona Pazzibugan