THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has ordered three foreign Methodist missionaries to leave the country for allegedly engaging in missionary works without a visa and in leftist activities in the country.
The three missionaries are Zimbabwean national Tawanda Chandiwana, American national Adam Thomas Shaw and Malawian national Miracle Osman.
In a statement on Tuesday, July 3, BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval confirmed that Tawanda, arrested by the BI on May 9, is overstaying in the country.
Sandoval said that Tawanda's missionary visa has expired on April 6, a month before he was arrested in Toril, Davao.
“(Tawanda) was apprehended last May 9 in Toril, Davao, pursuant to a valid Mission Order from the Commissioner,” said Sandoval.
“Upon inspection, it was confirmed that he is an overstaying alien as his missionary visa expired last April 6. He also admitted to have been working in the country since October 2016, but sought a visa only in 2017,” she added.
Shaw has also violated the immigration laws for engaging in missionary activities without a visa, said Sandoval.
"Shaw was initially in the country since 2011, and admitted to have engaged in missionary works without a visa from 2011 to 2013," she said.
Shaw was granted a missionary visa in 2017 and it has expired last April 26, according to the BI.
Osman, on the other hand, was included in the BI’s watchlist last March 12, and was ordered to leave last June 18, said Sandoval.
The BI failed to disclose the status of Osman's visa.
According to Sandoval, the BI is just waiting for certain documents to be submitted by the three missionaries before they are deported.
Tawanda, Shaw and Osman have been included in the BI's blacklist for overstaying and allegedly engaging in political activities in the country.
Sandoval stressed that aliens are not allowed to join political activities in the country.
“Alien missionaries in the Philippines must be actually, directly, and exclusively engaged in religious work,” she said.
"They must not engage in any endeavor that is not consistent with their religious or missionary vocation,” she added.
Despite the apparent series of attacks against missionaries involved in partisan political activities, beginning with the arrest of Australian nun Patricia Fox, Sandoval clarified that there is no crackdown of missionaries in the country.
“In fact, there are currently more than 500 lawful missionary visa holders in our records, and we welcome and appreciate their presence, as long as the visa is not abused for purposes of joining partisan political activities,” she stressed.
The United Methodist Church Philippines Central Conference Board of Church and Society and the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church earlier appealed to the Philippine government to allow Tawanda, Shaw and Osman to leave the country.
The said Methodist organizations believe that the attacks against the three were prompted by their participation in the International Fact Finding and Solidarity Mission (IFFSM) to look into the massacre of T'boli-Dulangan Manobo tribespeople and other human rights violations in Lake Sebu last December 2017.
Australian missionary Patricia Fox, also participated in the same fact-finding mission.
The Makabayan bloc on Monday, July 2, has called for an investigation into the reported violations committed against the foreign missionaries.
The Makabayan bloc claims that the "violations against Tawanda, Osman and Shaw are the newest acts from the Duterte government's crackdown on foreign missionaries."
The bloc further said that the BI violated the international human rights law when they illegally detained and retained the passports of the foreign missionaries. (SunStar Philippines)