Manila: The Bureau of Immigration has affirmed a deportation order it issued against Sister Patricia Anne Fox, an Australian missionary accused by the Philippine government of involvement in political activities.

Immigrations spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval said that the Bureau “unanimously ruled to deport Sister Patricia having found her in violation of the conditions of her missionary visa.

“Wherefore, we find Fox Patricia Anne, Australian national, in violation of the limitations and conditions of her missionary visa and undesirable under and order her deportation to Australia, subject to her submission of all appropriate clearances and the inclusion of her name in the Bureau of Immigrations Blacklist, thus barring her re-entry into the country,” the decision rendered by the immigrations Board of Commissioners on Thursday read.

Sought for her reaction, Fox admitted she was disappointed with the ruling, but said “we will look at what more we can do about it.”

Fox was seen recently in public attending the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization organised by Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

Fox had been granted a missionary visa on July 21, 2016, which was valid until September 5, 2018. Her papers came with a limitation that she would render missionary work in the village of Amihan, Quezon City.

“Sister Fox clearly violated the limitation and conditions of her visa, which specifically allowed her to engage in missionary and religious work, not political activities in the Philippines,” said Sandoval. “She was found by the board to have actively participated in political activities, which she also admitted in her pleadings.”

Fox had a virtual reprieve from deportation last June when Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra overruled an April 25, 2018 order by Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to deport the Catholic nun for engaging in political activities.

Guevarra, in the order issued June 18, however, directed Fox to leave the country in 30 days.

The one-month reprieve will allow the nun to seek legal recourse to stall her deportation.

Guevarra had said the forfeiture of the missionary visa was “without legal basis,” since the immigration department cannot forfeit such a travel document.

The justice secretary however said what the immigration department is allowed to do is “cancel” the nun’s visa.

But Sandoval said reports received by the immigration department showed that Fox attended different rallies holding banners and wearing shirts representing different leftist organisations. According to the department, political rallies and protests in collaboration with labour or cause-oriented groups are not within the ambit of the religious visa granted to Fox.

“Foreign missionaries in the country must be actually, directly and exclusively engaged in religious work in the Philippines. They must not engage in partisan political activity or in any endeavour not consistent with their religious or missionary vocation,” and that aliens’ stay in the country is “but a mere privilege, and [they] should not be allowed to foment unrest and defiance.”

According to the immigration department, allowing the nun to participate in rallies would open the floodgates for other aliens to join rallies to the detriment of public peace and order.