■ GOV’T RELEASES AUSTRALIAN NUN AFTER OVERNIGHT DETENTION

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) released on Tuesday Sister Patricia Fox, 71, a day after its agents arrested her in Quezon City for allegedly violating her visa conditions “by attending protest rallies and engaging in political activities.” Cesar Santos, head of the bureau’s legal division, said it was not proper for Sister Fox to be the subject of inquest proceedings, since she had not been caught in the act of violating any immigration laws. Fox’s arrest came a day after the BI also barred a European politician and human rights advocate from entering Cebu, where he was due to attend a conference of Akbayan party-list. The cases of Sister Fox and Giacomo Filibeck caught the attention of media organizations abroad and the criticism of human rights organizations.

After detaining 71-year-old Australian nun Sister Patricia Fox overnight, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) ordered her release on Tuesday, April 17.

Fox, superior of the Our Lady of Sion congregation in the Philippines, was arrested by immigration agents on Monday, April 16, for allegedly violating the conditions of her stay “by attending protest rallies and engaging in political activities.”

She was taken into custody by immigration agents at their mission house in Quezon City at 2 p.m. Monday, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in a statement.

She has been doing missionary work, specifically among farmers and Lumad (indigenous peoples), in the Philippines for the past 27 years. Her arrest was based on a mission order issued by Commissioner Jaime Morente.

In a statement, the BI said that Commissioner Morente approved the recommendation of the BI Legal Division to release Fox for further investigation.

Cesar Santos, head of the legal division, said in his recommendation that it is improper for Fox to be a subject of an inquest proceedings as she was not caught in the act of violating any immigration laws.

Santos said that inquest proceedings applies only to those aliens caught in the act violating such.

More so, the BI said questioning by the BI Legal Division established that Fox’s missionary passport is still valid, thus she is a documented alien.

The missionary visa of Fox was issued on Oct. 15 last year and will expire on Sept. 9 this year.

The BI said Fox will undergo a preliminary investigation to determine if deportation charges should be filed against her with the BI Board of Commissioners.

The BI earlier justified the arrest of Fox by saying that she had violated the conditions of her stay in the country by attending protest rallies and engaging in political activities. /