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The Philippine immigration authority has ordered the deportation and blacklisting of an Australian nun who was investigated, under instruction from President Rodrigo Duterte, for her political activism.

Sister Patricia Fox, 71, is to be deported because her presence in the country "poses a risk to public interest," and she has been accused of violating the terms of her missionary visa by venturing beyond her suburban community, Associated Press reported.

Patricia Fox REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Fox has served as a missionary in the Philippines for 27 years, and is the coordinator of a congregation of nuns called Notre Dame de Sion. She has advocated for human rights and welfare in the country, and has joined in protests against Duterte and his government.

Fox's lawyers said in a statement seen by AP that they would appeal to fight "this kind of persecution."

"Helping the poor is not a risk to public interest, peace or order. In fact, the government must recognize her selfless service to the oppressed sectors of this society," her lawyers said in a statement.

In April, Duterte personally ordered an investigation into Fox's activities and claimed she was an an "undesirable foreigner." Fox was taken from her home and detained by immigration services for nearly 24 hours, Reuters said.

Fox has defended her activism, and refuted claims she engaged in anti-government displays.

"I haven't joined political rallies in terms of party politics, but I have been active in human rights issues," Fox has said.

Duterte has been particularly sensitive to criticism over issues regarding human rights in the country. Rights groups have said his bloody war on drugs has killed over 12,000 people, and calls have been made for the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation.</s>Rodrigo Duterte and Gloria Arroyo have similar tendencies on key policy issues, but experts say Duterte has pushed his powers to the 'brink of authoritarianism'

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte calls her "ma'am" and claims to owe her "a lot." Gloria Arroyo is back in the limelight hosting state leaders and priests to banquets after nearly 4 years of detention for a plunder case that is now dismissed.

Duterte previously revealed he was a "close confidant" of Arroyo back when she was president. These days Arroyo is proving to be a loyal supporter of the administration, ready to defend Duterte from controversies that reflect the ones that also hounded hers.

In his 3rd year in office, Duterte has revived several key policies under Arroyo that former President Benigno Aquino III rejected.

Duterte and Arroyo are the only post-Marcos presidents to declare martial law. Both warmed to China as loans poured in from Beijing.

They oversaw sweeping reforms on the country's tax laws with Arroyo's Expanded Value Added Tax (e-VAT) and Duterte's Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN). Aquino had sin tax but it had limited coverage.

Duterte is also reviving the charter change train – in a way that is reminiscent of the political maneuverings of Arroyo and her political party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) – although the agenda was also pushed by Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada.

The killings in the name of Duterte's anti-drug campaign are unprecedented but Arroyo was also held responsible for a spate of killings, mostly for doing nothing against summary executions of political activists allegedly perpetrated by the military.

These show that Duterte and Arroyo have "similar tendencies," but experts said Duterte is different from Arroyo in the way he has aggressively pushed his agenda.

The pushback against these high divisive policies during the time of Arroyo was very important. There is practically no effective opposition these days.

Experts warned of the lasting impact his policies way beyond his term.

Duterte's martial law in Mindanao is prolonged. His proclamation on May 23, 2017 – triggered by the siege of Marawi – has been repeatedly extended. It's supposed to last until the end of 2018.

Arroyo declared martial law in 2009 in the aftermath of the gruesome Maguindanao massacre that killed 58 people. Hers covered only the province and lasted only 8 days.

In comparison, Aquino rejected even a declaration of a state of emergency during the siege of Zamboanga City in September 2013.

"I don't think it's in the DNA of President Aquino to declare martial law," said Edwin Lacierda, the former spokesman of Aquino.

Human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno said it shows "similar tendencies" to "short-circuit the justice system." He said Duterte's anti-drug campaign is also ultimately a "war against the legal system," similar to his assault on institutions that are expected to uphold democracy.

"It's an attempt to supplant justice from the courts and to substitute it with justice coming from the barrels of guns. That kind of justice that you see on the street really breeds more violence. I think that partly explains why killings continue to get worse," Diokno said.

Diokno said the Philippines is already on the "brink of authoritarianism."

"During the time of President Arroyo, there was a very, very strong pushback so that it never reached the point where we were on the brink of really falling into a very strongly authoritarian type of government. Unlike now, in my view, we're already on the brink," said Diokno.

Arroyo sees her own China policy coming back under Duterte after Aquino rejected hers. "When I was President, I focused on closer economic and business ties with China. That is the policy of President Duterte today, very similar to mine," she said in a television interview in March.

Arroyo herself shifted from the policy of Estrada, who was behind the grounding of BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal years after Beijing wrested control of Mischief Reef from the Philippines during the time of Fidel Ramos.

China expert Jay Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines said Duterte and Arroyo are similar in terms of "friendliness to China and openness to Chinese investments."

Lacierda said it's "worse" under Duterte. "We have the Hague ruling. We could have enforced that," Lacierda said.

Batongbacal said it remains to be seen how Duterte envisions a proposed joint exploration of the West Philippine Sea and if it will resemble Arroyo's controversial Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) with China and Vietnam.

Aquino himself was also open to joint exploration before the China occupied Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in 2012. Lacierda said Aquino was adamant that Philippine laws should govern the bilateral agreement, which China rejected.

Batongbacal said the big and importance difference between Duterte and Arroyo is how Duterte has been trying to endear China to the public and how he's managed ties with the US, the country's longtime ally.

"She (Arroyo) didn't alienate the US," said Batongbacal.

Corruption controversies marred Chinese loans during the Arroyo presidency – the botched NBN-ZTE deal and North Rail projects. Batongbacal said this has not been helpful to Duterte's pivot because they’ve left a lasting negative impression on projects that involve Beijing.

Batongbacal noted how polls indicate that it's not going to be easy to change public opinion towards China even as the military superpower has "changed" and has "cracked down on corruption."

"I think for the general public, it's really not going to change that quickly and not by much," he said.

Duterte's attempts to "oversell" China have also been counterproductive, said Batongbacal. They’re drawing "suspicion and resentment" instead.

"He presents China as a friend but he also says we cannot challenge China in the West Philippine Sea because it will mean war. The message is self-contradictory," he said.

Duterte's sensational popularity has allowed him elbow room to push his agenda. But his satisfaction ratings have dropped as he entered his 3rd year in office.

The ground he's standing on may no longer be as firm as before. – Rappler.com</s>Manila — The Philippines has issued a fresh deportation order for an elderly Australian nun who angered President Rodrigo Duterte, as her lawyers pledged to block her expulsion.

Sister Patricia Fox, 71, has been accused of illegally engaging in political activism as the government cracks down on foreign critics on its soil.

"We find Fox Patricia Anne, Australian national, in violation of the limitations and conditions of [the Philippines immigration law] and order her deportation to Australia," said the government order on Thursday, shown to AFP by her lawyers.

Duterte has supported Fox’s removal. He ordered her arrest in April and previously said he wanted her investigated for "disorderly conduct".

Fox, who has been living in the Philippines since 1990, drew the president’s wrath after joining a fact-finding mission in April to investigate alleged abuses against farmers, including killings and evictions by soldiers fighting guerrillas.

In June her deportation was halted when justice secretary Menardo Guevarra said immigration authorities used the wrong procedure to expel her.

Fox’s lawyers told AFP they plan to appeal the new deportation order within the next few days.</s>
• The Philippine immigration authority has ordered the deportation and blacklisting of an Australian nun who was investigated for her political activism per instructions from President Rodrigo Duterte.
• The authority said 71-year-old Sister Patricia Fox “poses a risk to public interest” and has been accused of violating the terms of her missionary visa.
• Fox served as a missionary in the Philippines for 27 years and advocates for human rights and welfare in the country.
• Fox’s lawyers said they plan to appeal the decision and will fight “this kind of persecution.”

The Philippine immigration authority has ordered the deportation and blacklisting of an Australian nun who was investigated, under instruction from President Rodrigo Duterte, for her political activism.

Sister Patricia Fox, 71, is to be deported because her presence in the country “poses a risk to public interest,” and she has been accused of violating the terms of her missionary visa by venturing beyond her suburban community, Associated Press reported.

Fox has served as a missionary in the Philippines for 27 years, and is the coordinator of a congregation of nuns called Notre Dame de Sion. She has advocated for human rights and welfare in the country, and has joined in protests against Duterte and his government.

Fox’s lawyers said in a statement seen by AP that they would appeal to fight “this kind of persecution.”

“Helping the poor is not a risk to public interest, peace or order. In fact, the government must recognize her selfless service to the oppressed sectors of this society,” her lawyers said in a statement.

In April, Duterte personally ordered an investigation into Fox’s activities and claimed she was an an “undesirable foreigner.” Fox was taken from her home and detained by immigration services for nearly 24 hours, Reuters said.

Fox has defended her activism, and refuted claims she engaged in anti-government displays.

“I haven’t joined political rallies in terms of party politics, but I have been active in human rights issues,” Fox has said.

Duterte has been particularly sensitive to criticism over issues regarding human rights in the country. Rights groups have said his bloody war on drugs has killed over 12,000 people, and calls have been made for the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation.</s>The Philippines issued on Thursday a fresh deportation order for an elderly Australian nun who angered President Rodrigo Duterte, as her lawyers pledged to block her expulsion.

Sister Patricia Fox, 71, has been accused of illegally engaging in political activism as the government cracks down on foreign critics on its soil.

"We find Fox Patricia Anne, Australian national, in violation of the limitations and conditions of (the Philippines immigration law) and order her deportation to Australia," said the government order shown to AFP by her lawyers.

Duterte has supported Fox's removal. He ordered her arrest in April and previously said he wanted her investigated for "disorderly conduct".

Fox, who has been living in the Philippines since 1990, drew the president's wrath after joining a fact-finding mission in April to investigate alleged abuses against farmers -- including killings and evictions by soldiers fighting guerrillas.

Last month her deportation was halted when justice secretary Menardo Guevarra said immigration authorities used the wrong procedure to expel her.

The decision gave Fox a reprieve but Guevarra also ordered the immigration authorities to hear a case on her visa's cancellation along with pending deportation proceedings.

The new order issued Thursday would also bar her from re-entering the Philippines. The immigration office spokeswoman did not return AFP's calls for comment.

Fox's lawyers told AFP they plan to appeal within the next few days.

"Under the (immigration service) rules, if we file the order is not executory. And we will file an appeal," lawyer Jobert Pahilga said.

"Very sad, but hopefully I can challenge it still," the nun separately told AFP in a text message.

Duterte, 73, has also launched a deadly crackdown on drugs and has railed against human rights critics, especially foreigners whom he accuses of meddling in his nation's affairs.

"Don't let her in because that nun has a shameless mouth," Duterte said in April, accusing the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion missionary of "disorderly conduct".

Fox has denied engaging in politics, saying her actions were part of her work to advocate for justice and peace.</s>An Australian nun, who was living in the Philippines, was ordered to be deported by the country’s immigration bureau because she angered President Rodrigo Duterte by joining allies against his government.

According to the state-run Philippine New Agency (PNA), along with the deportation order, 71-year-old Sister Patricia Anne Fox was blacklisted which means she can’t re-enter the country again.

The nun, who fought to stay in the country for more than three months, is accused of rallying for anti-government prisoners and fighting for their release. She was charged with violating the terms of her missionary visa because she reportedly engaged in political activities across the country.

However, her lawyers said they would appeal against the order and called the move “persecution.”

“Helping the poor is not a risk to public interest, peace or order. In fact, the government must recognize her selfless service to the oppressed sectors of this society,” her lawyers said.

“Well of course I'm disappointed but that's the order, and we'll look at what we can do about it,” Fox told PNA.

The nun has been working with the country’s poor people since the last 27 years. During that time, she has worked for human rights and workers’ welfare. Working for humanity ended up her joining allies against Duterte.

Consequently, the president ordered a probe into her activities in the country. As the probe deepened, the 71-year-old was taken into custody by authorities in April 2018. Moreover, her visa type was also changed to temporary visitor’s visa.

As her case reached the court, in June, a judge granted her an appeal and also ordered to change her visa type to missionary visa again. She was allowed to stay in the country but a separate deportation case against the nun was filed in the court.

“Those in the Philippines are here because of our consent for them to be here. But they are not allowed to engage in any political activity,” said Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr.

Eventually, her deportation was ordered that stated she “poses a risk to the public interest.” The order also stated that Fox participated in a rally that was protesting Duterte’s extension of martial law. It also accused her of taking part in conferences that tackled rights issues against the government.

Duterte has plainly stated he has no problem trampling on human rights in his war against drugs. He has also gone one step further by calling on the police to shoot any human rights activist daring to stand up to his devastating drug war.</s>Australian nun Patricia Fox announced on Friday that she would appeal against a deportation order issued against her by the Philippine government a day earlier over allegations of involvement in political activities against the country's president.

Fox's lawyer Sol Taule said that the appeal would be filed on Monday and added that the order issued by the Bureau of Immigration set a bad precedent.</s>Sister Patricia Fox's lawyer says the deportation order 'will set a very bad precedent for other missionaries who also want to stand in solidarity with Filipinos'

MANILA, Philippines – Australian nun Sister Patricia Fox will challenge the deportation order issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI), as her lawyer said the BI order sets a "very bad precedent" for foreign missionaries like her.

In a press conference on Friday, July 20, Fox's lawyer Sol Taule said their camp will file a motion for reconsideration at the BI on Monday, July 23.

"Because we intend to file a motion for reconsideration on Monday, the decision is not final and executory until we have exhausted all our remedies," Taule said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Taule also criticized the deportation of foreign missionaries under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Before the BI ordered her deportation on Thursday, July 18, the BI deported 3 foreign Methodist missionaries also for supposedly joining political activities.

"We're seeing the start of this trend under President Duterte's government, to deport anyone who is doing good. What is wrong with standing for human rights? It's universal, right?"

Referring to the deportation order, Taule added, "It will set a very bad precedent for other missionaries who also want to stand in solidarity with Filipinos."

The BI on Thursday ordered the deportation of Fox allegedly because she "violated the limitation and condition of her missionary visa that allowed her to engage in missionary/religious work, not political activities, in the Philippines."

Fox earlier rejected the BI's "narrow-minded definition" of missionary work, saying she joins rallies and gatherings of the marginalized as "part and parcel of my apostolate and missionary work."

Reacting to this development, a Carmelite commission on justice and peace condemned the BI order to deport Fox.

"Why is it that the Duterte administration is so adamantly against her missionary work for these poor and marginalized sectors of society?" said the Carmelite priests, reiterating a previous statement.

"We believe that only a despotic tyrant would consider her missionary work as undesirable. Hence, we call on our fellow religious and missionaries and the people of goodwill to stand with Sister Patricia and continue our collective stand of solidarity with the marginalized sectors in our society," they added. – Rappler.com</s>Australian missionary Sister Patricia Anne Fox on Thursday, July 19, was ordered by the Board of Commissioners (BOC) of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to be deported and blacklisted, barring her from ever returning to the Philippines.

The BOC, composed of Commissioner Jaime Morente, Associate Commissioner J. Tobias Javier and OIC Associate Commissioner Marc Red Marinas, ruled that Fox violated Philippine immigration laws and was found to be an undesirable alien after thorough review and deliberation.

“The BOC found that her actions are inimical to the interest of the state. The Bureau has ordered her [Fox’s] deportation to Australia, and the inclusion of her name in the BI’s blacklist, barring her re-entry into the country,” Sandoval stated.

The BI, in its resolution, noted that Fox was granted a missionary visa on July 21, 2016 valid until September 5 of this year “with a limitation that she will render her missionary work in Barangay Amihan, Quezon City.”

However, the BI said “Fox engaged and interfered in political activities from north (Tarlac) to south (South Cotabato) of the Philippines. She works outside of her community.”

“Fox violated the limitation and condition of her missionary visa which allowed her to engage in missionary/religious work, not political activities, in the Philippines. Her presence in the country poses a risk to public interest,” the BI added.

Foreign missionaries in the country must be directly and exclusively engaged in religious work in the Philippines. They must not engage in partisan political activity or in any endeavor not consistent with their religious or missionary vocation, the BI added.

Allowing Fox to participate in rallies, according to BI, would open floodgates for other aliens to join rallies to the detriment of public peace and order.

“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,” Sandoval said, explaining that there is no crackdown of foreign missionaries in the country.

“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,” she added.

Fox, for her part, told reporters that she was disappointed in the ruling.

“Well of course, I’m disappointed, but that’s the order, and we’ll look at what we can do about it,” she said in a phone interview with PNA on Thursday.

When asked if she will appeal the order, the 71-year old nun replied: “That was the plan. I’ll talk to the lawyers tomorrow, probably.”

One of her legal counsels, lawyer Maria Sol Taule, said they were ‘dismayed’ because they articulated their position in the counter affidavit and memorandum on the deportation case.

“Sister Pat did not engage in political activities. She is doing her missionary work here.

Again, we will exhaust all remedies available to us,” Taule said.

Fox’s camp in a statement added, “President Duterte and the BI have no basis to say that Sr. Pat is an undesirable alien, unless their definition of undesirability is helping the poor.”</s>Rodrigo Duterte's presidency gets a score of 5 out of 10 for his 'increasingly authoritarian' ways

MANILA, Philippines – A panel of political science experts and professors gave President Rodrigo Duterte a score of 5 out of 10 for his first two years as the country’s chief executive.

The panel of experts, led by former University of the Philippines political science department chairman Temario Rivera, gave this grade during a forum on Friday, July 20. Hosted by the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), the forum sought to assess Duterte’s governance in time for his State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 23.

Rivera said this low grade was because of Duterte’s increasingly heavy-handed moves when it comes to dissent and criticism, particularly for his banner policies.

“I think what was common was a major concern that Duterte’s style of leadership is increasingly getting more authoritarian and such a system might provoke deeper divisions and polarizations in our country,” Rivera told Rappler.

He and his co-panelists pointed to Duterte’s insistence on the shift to federalism even if a majority of Filiipinos are opposed to it.

“Politically, this has been manifested by the moves to fast-track federalism which, to begin with, there is no public clamor for that and now there is talk of ‘no-el’ (no elections),” said Rivera.

“You combine that with problems about the economy, inflation and the like, all this seem to be creating increasingly an atmosphere of instability about the immediate future,” he added.

He also explained that the rating of 5 was also given in consideration of how high Duterte had set the bar for himself, and the corresponding realities of how those promises were fulfilled.

“I think partly also of the initial expectation. Remember that he has promised a lot of things, just to mention a few, solving the drug problem in 6 months, to one year, now it’s been two years. Our point here is precisely that the President…seems to have adopted a very simplistic approach to very complex problems,” said Rivera.

Another of Duterte’s policies that are inviting doubt into his presidency and governance style is his policy towards China and the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Pulse Asia Research, Incorporated and Social Weather Stations surveys have shown that most Filipinos think the Duterte administration should do more to assert its rights over the West Philippine Sea, a body of water being claimed by China, Duterte’s new “friend.”

“We think that he should have gone out of his way also to solicit a wider base of consensus on the best way to approach it (China policy),” said Rivera.

While the forum’s experts gave Duterte failing marks, the President's public satisfaction and trust ratings show he still enjoys a high level of popularity. (READ: Duterte in surveys: After two years, honeymoon persists)

Rivera acknowledged this and identified 4 factors that explain Duterte’s persistent honeymoon with most Filipinos.

“One is the local culture and our political history have shown a tolerance for strong authoritarian leaders, all the way from Quezon under the American colonial era to, of course, our experience under Marcos,” he said.

Poverty, unemployment, and armed conflict have also led Filipinos to seek leaders who could bring make “quick-fix solutions.”

“When you’re looking for a quick fix solution, the normal response would be a strong leader. That also could explain why historically, the average Filipino would have a tendency to give leeway to those kinds of excesses,” said Rivera.

While Duterte enjoys popularity now, the eminent political science scholar said there are limits for all leaders and presidencies, particularly when Filipinos “realize there is no significant improvement in their lives” during his term.

“Political instability” is also one outcome of Duterte’s supposed authoritarian tendencies that could make Filipinos reconsider their support for him. – Rappler.com
The Philippines immigration authority has ordered the deportation and blacklisting of an Australian nun who was investigated, under instruction from President Rodrigo Duterte, for her political activism.