A MEMBER of the Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives on Thursday slammed what he described as a “double standard” being applied by the Duterte administration to Sister Patricia Fox, whose missionary visa was recently canceled by the Bureau of Immigration.
“It is tragically ironic as it is highly condemnable that Sr. Pat, who is siding with farmers and the lumads in defending their right to their lands, is now being asked by the Duterte administration to leave the country that she [has] served as a missionary in almost three decades,” Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said.
“But, in the same breadth, foreigners, businessmen especially, who openly advocate or even lobby for the amendment or revision, deletion or scrapping of the protectionist and nationalist provisions of our Constitution are being welcome with open arms by the administration,” he added.
Zarate said the open lobbying by members of foreign chambers of commerce to change the Constitution are in fact “political activities” that are “very detrimental” to the country and its people.
“Yet, why is the government, the immigration bureau, not doing anything to kick them out?” he asked.
Similarly, Zarate said that while the Chinese military is acting as if it owns the West Philippine Sea, the Duterte administration has yet to take any action to stop its aggressive action, yet is too quick to deport someone like Sr. Pat.
“The administration should stop harassing people who are serving the Philippines and its citizens. It should instead run after those who truly undermine our national patrimony, our independence and national sovereignty,” he said.