By Vann Marlo M. Villegas
AUSTRALIAN missionary Patricia Fox will file at the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday a petition for review of the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) deportation order against her.
“Ang amin pong magiging (Our) course of action is we will be filing an appeal (at) the Department of Justice on Monday. It was supposed to be filed today but unfortunately, we need to firm up additional arguments,” a lawyer of Ms. Fox, Joebert I. Pahilga, said in a press conference on Friday that the Australia nun also attended.
Ms. Fox, for her part, said, “Gusto kong lalaban itong kaso hanggang sa katapusan….Sinabi ko dati mahal ang Pilipinas sa akin. Ayoko umalis kung ganito ang kalagayan.” (I want to pursue this case until the end….I said before that the Philippines is dear to me. I don’t want to leave like this.)
The BI upheld the deportation order against Ms. Fox issued in July, saying “no new matters raised that warrant the modification or reversal of the resolution.”
“She was authorized to conduct only missionary works, but had attended numerous political activities contrary to the limitations of her visa. She was likewise seen as undesirable for joining protests, which she also admitted in her affidavit,” BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval was quoted as saying in a statement by the bureau.
Maria Sol Taule, another lawyer of Ms. Fox, said: “There are no new arguments daw na nilatag namin sa aming (that we presented in the) MR. But then again, we should take note that the BI never faced squarely the issues that we raised. Wala silang sinabi tungkol sa missionary work ni Sister tungkol doon sa pagaakusa nila na political work ito at iba pa.” (They did not say anything about the missionary work of the Sister in their accusation that this constituted political work.)
Presidential spokesperson Harry L. Roque Jr. said that they are “according her all the remedies provided by law….”
He added: “I understand she has 30 days or so to appeal again to the DoJ. So binibigay po natin sa kaniya iyan at pagkatapos na ma-exhaust ang lahat ng remedies at kapag hindi nagbago and desisyon (So we are giving her that, and after exhausting all remedies and the decision will not change), she will be deported. Dura lex sed lex mensahe sa mga dayuhan, huwag po kayong mamulitika habang kayo po ay on temporary visa dito sa Pilipinas (Dura lex sed lex is the message to foreigners, do not politicize your activities while you are on temporary visa in the Philippines).”
Ms. Fox’s lawyers noted that her missionary visa will expire on Sept. 5. Mr. Pahilga said Ms. Fox already applied for the renewal of her missionary visa on Aug. 20.
Sought for comment, Justice Secretary Manardo I. Guevarra told reporters that Ms. Fox’s visa “may be downgraded to a tourist visa only, for a limited period.” But this, he said, is still subject to the outcome of her deportation case.

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