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Republic of the Philippines {<9
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES [x RECEIVED
Quezon City oare. HAY 20 2018
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
7806
HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by Reps. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE, ANTONIO L. TINIO,
EMMI A. DE JESUS, FRANCE L. CASTRO, ARLENE D. BROSAS,
ARIEL B. CASILAO, and SARAH JANE I. ELAGO

AN ACT
GRANTING FILIPINO CITIZENSHIP
‘TO SISTER PATRICIA ANNE THOMPSON FOX

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Sister Patricia Anne Thompson Fox, NDS, or simply, Sr. Pat as she is fondly called, is an
‘Australian missionary of Our Lady of Sion, an international Catholic congregation. She is 71
Years old, She is currently the Provincial Superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion in the
Philippines. She has been in the Philippines for 27 years.

Sr. Pat was born in Australia on March 7, 1947. Her congregation’s solidarity visit to the
Philippines in 1984 stirred her heart to dedicate her missionary work to ‘the Philippines. In
1990, Sr. Pat left her good life in Australia as a teacher and a lawyer and chose the
Philippines as her missionary area and_to live with the poor, particularly the peasants and
indegenous peoples.

Her congregation fully supported her mission following the mandate and prophetic
role of the church in proclaiming the Good News to those in need at the peripheries of
society.

‘As Sister Pat started her missionary work in the country, she helped out the justice and peace
ministry of Infanta Prelature through conducting research on mining and various land issues.
The output of the research helped educate farmers on their rights and how extractive practices
impact on agriculture and the environment.

‘After five (5) years, Sr. Pat moved to the northern part, in the town of Aurora, to join the
Justice and Peace Action Group of the Prelature.


In 1991, Sr. Pat became the coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP)
Souther Tagalog, in 1997 became the RMP Central Luzon regional coordinator, and, from
2000 to 2007, served as its National Coordinator.

To the many poor farmers and the downtrodden that Sr. Pat served, even her mere presence
is considered a gift. She was with of farmworkers of Hacienda Luisita in their fight to own
the land that they tilled for a long time, even during the time of the infamous 2004 massacre.
She was with farmers and workers who were arrested and imprisoned for
trumped up charges; with the urban poor communities when they were displaced and
their lowly abode demolished. She listened to the cry of the indigenous peoples when their
lands were grabbed and the schools they have set up were destroyed. She gave inspiration to
farmers and workers to stand for their rights as part of the teachings of the Church. Despite
her age she encourages the youth to take on the challenges of the times.

On April 16, 2018, Sr. Pat was taken by the officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) from
her congregation’s mission house in Quezon City. Although she was released the following
day after a 22-hour detention, she was placed under “further investigation” for supposedly
engaging in “political activities.” Later, her missionary visa was cancelled by the
Immigration Bureau. Sr. Pat is the first religious missionary to be investigated since the
martial law years when foreign priests were deported under the dictatorship of Ferdinand
Marcos.

“As a Christian, believing that our mission is to bring God's Kingdom to the here and now, I
couldn't help but to get involved both with projects, such as training in organic farming, to
uplift the livelihood of the farmers, but also to advocate with them for their rights to land,
livelihood, peace, justice and security, all universal human rights which the church sees as
integral to her mission,” Sr. Pat once said, explaining her misson.

For 27 years, Sr. Pat lived with and served the farmers, indigenous peoples and other
marginalized people in the communities. By living with the poor and oppressed, Sr. Pat has
come to understand, experience and embrace the culture and the struggle of the poor Filipino
majority. Not only that she speaks their language, Sr. Pat was accepted by the Filipi

‘communities and was treated as one of their own because she lives and struggles with them.

Instead of prosecuting and deporting Sr. Pat through false charges, the government should
instead recognize and acknowledge her sacrifices in almost three decades of her selfless
service to the Filipino people.

Granting Filipino Citizenship to Sr. Patricia Ann Fox would be much more than a fitting
recognition for her selfless service to the poor and oppressed Filipinos. It is a response to the
call of many farmers, fisherfolks, and indigenous people whose lives were touched and
helped by Sr. Pat.


Approved,

—

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Bayan

Cp. ANTONIO L. TINIO
ACT Teachers Partylist

Rep. E }). CASTRO
ACT Ylachery Partylist

Rep. ae CASILAO

Anakpawis Partylist

tA 2 ZARATE

Partylist

fore

Rep. EMMI A. ff JESUS
Gabriela Women's Party

BROSAS
Gabriela Women’s Party

E 1. ELAGO
staan Partylist



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 7806

Introduced by Reps. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE, ANTONIO L. TINIO,
EMMI A. DE JESUS, FRANCE L. CASTRO, ARLENE D. BROSAS,
ARIEL B. CASILAO, and SARAH JANE L ELAGO.

AN ACT
GRANTING FILIPINO CITIZENSHIP
TO SISTER PATRICIA ANNE THOMPSON FOX

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Sr. Patricia Anne Thompson Fox, who has been living in the Philippines nearly
three decades now, is hereby granted Philippine citizenship with all the rights, privileges and
prerogatives, as well as the duties and obligations appurtenant thereto.

SECTION 2. Sr. Patricia Anne Thompson Fox shall take the Oath of Allegiance to the
Republic of the Philippines before an officer duly authorized to administer the same. The
Oath of Allegiance shall be registered with the Bureau of Immigration.

SECTION 3. Upon registration of the Oath of Allegiance, the Bureau of Immigration shall
issue a Certificate of naturalization to Sr. Patricia Anne Thompson Fox who shall thereupon
enter into the full enjoyment of Philippine citizenship.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,