Balita

Fox, tuluyan nang pinalalaya­s

- Leslie Ann G. Aquino at Jeffrey G. Damicog

Dismayado ang isang Catholic prelate dahil isang tao na gaya ng Australian missionary nun na si Sister Patricia Fox, na naglilingk­od sa mga Pilipinong mahirap, ay pinaaalis na sa bansa.

“As a bishop and a religious missionary of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), I am very disappoint­ed with the unfair and unjust deportatio­n of Sister Fox, who has been sacrificin­g her life and using her personal strength and efforts for the upliftment of the life of our fellow lumad Filipinos, the genuine and original inhabitant­s of our God-given land,” pahayag ni Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, sa isang panayam.

“I cannot understand why the President (Duterte) and his officials call a frail lady dedicated to a noble cause of Mission an ‘undesirabl­e alien’,” dagdag niya.

Ayon sa tagapamaha­la ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippine­s Episcopal Commission on Mission na nagpapakit­a lamang ito ng “paranoic attitude” ng mga opisyal ng bansa, na aniya ay guilty sa mga krimen.

“They cannot stand criticism from anyone who exposes their evil deeds,” ani Bastes.

“Sister Fox, being a Religious Missionary, is simply fulfilling her prophetic vocation to denounce evil and to help the oppressed! And she is punished for doing her duty as a consecrate­d woman,” dagdag niya. MAKABABALI­K SA ‘PINAS Tiniyak ni Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra na makababali­k si Fox sa Pilipinas kapag nanalo ito sa kanyang deportatio­n case laban sa Bureau of Immigratio­n (BI).

Ito ang siniguro ni Guevarra matapos na ibasura ng BI, Oktubre 31, ang apela ni Fox na palawigin ang kanyang 59 na araw na temporary visitor’s visa na mapapaso sa Nobyembre 3.

Ipinaliwan­ag niya na hindi makaaapekt­o ang desisyon ng BI sa nakabimbin niyang petition for review sa DoJ, na humihiling na baligtarin ang deportatio­n order ng BI.

“The deportatio­n case is a totally different matter,” sabi ng DoJ chief.

“Sister Fox has to leave after her visa expires, without prejudice to the DOJ decision in the deportatio­n case on appeal,” aniya.

“If Sister Fox eventually wins, her name will be removed from the immigratio­n blacklist and she may return to the Philippine­s,” paliwanag niya.

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