Sister Fox has 30 days to appeal case, says Immigration
MANILA, Philippines — Sister Patricia Fox has 30 days to appeal the deportation order against her, or she would have to be temporarily held by the Bureau of Immigration, the agency said.
Immigration on August 29 upheld the deportation against Fox. According to the bureau, Fox failed to present new matters in her appeal that would warrant a reversal of the ruling.
“If she will not file an appeal within 30 days, she can voluntarily present herself with the requirements (for deportation),” Sandoval said on Thursday.
READ: Immigration upholds Fox's deportation
The motion for reconsideration may be filed before the Office of the President or the Department of Justice, the BI spokesperson added.
In a statement sent on Thursday, the BI also stressed that Fox was ordered deported due to her participation in rallies, and not due to President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncements against her.
Fox, in her appeal, said that the bureau has “prejudged” her case when it took judicial notice of Duterte’s remarks against her.
But Sandoval reiterated: “She was authorized to conduct only missionary works, but had attended numerous political activities contrary to the limitations of her visa.”
Foreigners should abide by Philippines’ rules
Fox spent the last 27 years in the country as a missionary. She has extended aid to people behind bars, indigenous peoples and land reform advocates.
Duterte admitted to ordering the investigation into the elderly nun, whom the president labeled as someone who has a “shameful mouth.”
In ordering Fox to leave in April, the Immigration board of commissioners earlier cited the photo of the nun with a placard, calling for the release of political prisoners in the country,
Sandoval stressed that foreign nationals are not allowed to join rallies in the country.
“We understand that she has a heart for the people, but her actions must remain within the boundaries set by the laws of the land. It is the responsibility of the BI to ensure that foreign nationals, male or female, young or old, follow Philippine laws, in the same manner that our kababayans abroad follow the laws of the country they are in,” she added.
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