Palace on deportation order vs. Patricia Fox: That’s the law

Malacañang on Friday deferred to the decision of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to deport Australian missionary Patricia Fox for allegedly participating in political activities prohibited of foreigners.

A resolution dated July 19 shows the BI decided that the 71-year-old nun was an undesirable alien and that she has violated the limitations and conditions of her missionary visa.

The document, approved by the BI Board of Commissioners, ordered her deportation to Australia and the inclusion of her name in the bureau's blacklist, barring her from reentering the Philippines.

“That’s the law. Dura lex sed lex [Latin phrase for the law may be harsh, but it is the law],” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a text message.

Roque said only a stay order from the court can stop the BI from implementing its order.

According to the BI, Fox attended different rallies holding banners and wearing shirts representing different leftist organizations.

The BI said that political rallies and protests in collaboration with labor or cause-oriented groups are not within the ambit of the religious visa granted to Fox.

The agency also said allowing Fox to participate in rallies would open floodgates for other foreigners to join rallies to the detriment of public peace and order.

President Rodrigo Duterte himself ordered the investigation against Fox for “disorderly conduct.”

The camp of Fox has expressed its disappointment with the Bureau of Immigration's order to deport the Australian nun.

“We are utterly dismayed by the resolution of the BI ordering the deportation of Sr. Patricia Fox and placing her name in the watch list,” Maria Sol Taule, one of Fox's lawyers, said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Another one of Fox’s lawyers, Jobert Pahilga, said they will appeal the BI’s decision, and raise the matter with the Justice Department again if necessary.

No crackdown on foreign missionaries

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, however, clarified that there is no crackdown on foreign missionaries in the country. 

“Sister Fox was found to have violated immigration laws. When foreigners violate our Immigration laws, the law must be applied and enforced, in the same manner that Filipinos must follow immigration laws when they are in another country,” she said in a statement. 

“We welcome the presence of foreign missionaries in the Philippines, but, as with any alien staying in our country, they must respect and follow our laws,” Sandoval said. — RSJ, GMA News