Sister Pat deportation one of Duterte’s ‘cowardly’ acts — ex-CHR chair Rosales

The order to cancel Australian nun Patricia Fox's missionary visa and deport her is a cowardly act by President Rodrigo Duterte, former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Etta Rosales declared on Wednesday.

"The forfeiture of visa and order to leave for Sister Patricia Fox will go down in history as one of the Duterte government's cowardly acts. President Duterte should stop running the government as if it were his own playground," Rosales said in a statement.

"It is unbecoming and downright petty for the Chief Executive to arbitrarily drive away people whose ideas differ from his own. It undermines the integrity of a strong leader in command of himself and capable of listening to diverse opinions on policies of governance," she added.

Rosales said that Duterte's actions are dragging the Philippines to a "dark era where human rights defenders are threatened and sent away while violators are placed in power."

"With the deportation spree, Duterte is in danger of projecting himself—contrary to his machismo and bravado—as a weak leader, afraid of his own shadow and unable to cope with the rigors of democratic rule, losing his credibility altogether in the complex and diverse field of governance and rule of law," she added.

Earlier in the day, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) cancelled the missionary visa of the 71-year-old nun and ordered her to depart the Philippines due to her alleged engagement in political affairs.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said Fox's visa only allowed her the privilege of engaging in missionary work, but not in any political activities.

The nun was arrested on April 16 for supposedly "joining rallies." The next day, she was released by authorities.

Duterte took responsibility over the arrest of Fox, noting that he had ordered the nun to be investigated due to her supposed "disorderly conduct." — Anna Felicia Bajo/BM, GMA News