Gabriela party-list condemns arrest of 71-year-old Australian missionary

The Gabriela Women's Party on Tuesday condemned the allegedly illegal arrest and detention of 71-year-old Australian missionary Sister Patricia Fox, saying that it sets a dangerous precedent to arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has confirmed the arrest of Fox following a mission order from Commissioner Jaime Morente.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Fox has been helping peasants and indigenous peoples for 27 years.

"Sister Patricia was arrested and detained for merely participating in a recent international fact-finding and solidarity mission on the rights abuses in Mindanao," Gabriela Women's Party Representative Emmi De Jesus said in a statement.

"This can be a very loose pretext by the Duterte regime for nabbing anyone who stands up for human rights and against the attacks on civil liberties,” she added.

De Jesus demanded that Fox be released immediately without conditions.

"We cannot let this pass as it will widen the net of state forces in arbitrarily arresting activists and rights advocates," she added.

For her part, fellow Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas said it is ridiculous for the BI to include Fox in the list for deportation even as BI spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang has wrongly referred to her as "Patricia Cox."

“This shows how desperate the Duterte regime is in harassing activists and criminalizing dissent. But by choosing to nab Sister Pat from her home based on flimsy grounds, this regime is only strengthening the growing opposition to Duterte’s iron-fisted and tyrannical rule,” she said.

“We expect more church groups and women human rights defenders to stand with Sister Patricia at this dark hour," De Jesus added.

Fox is a volunteer staff of Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and an active supporter of the peasants' struggle, Bagong Alayansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes said.

The CBCP said Fox is also a missionary of the Our Lady of Sion (Notre Dame De Sion). —KG, GMA News