DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte assumes full responsibility over the arrest of Australian nun, as he admitted ordering the investigation.
The Bureau of Immigration and Deportation detained Australian nun Patricia Fox Tuesday and was subjected to series of investigation, but she was able to present her passport which is still active.
During the turn-over ceremony of new Armed Forces of Philippines Chief of Staff yesterday, Duterte said the Bureau if Immigration acted upon his orders,
He stressed “It was upon my orders implemented by the Bureau of Immigration. And I take full responsibility legal or otherwise for this incident. I ordered her to be investigated, not deported at once, not arrested but to invite her to an investigation for a disorderly conduct.”
Here’s the full transcript of Duterte’s statement on the arrest of Sister Fox:
Let me just state my case as a worker of government. It was not the military who arrested the nun, the Catholic nun from Australia
It was upon my orders implemented by the Bureau of Immigration. And I take full responsibility legal or otherwise for this incident.
I ordered her to be investigated, not deported at once, not arrested but to invite her to an investigation for a disorderly conduct.
You know in our laws, the Philippine laws provide that I can deport you or refuse you entry if you are an undesirable alien.
Look, I’m addressing to the Filipino nation. I can swallow, I can take all attacks from the Lumads to the highest and religious orders of all sorts, from my brother Moro, from the military, from everybody.
Ang hiningi ko lang, you are a Filipino, you are entitled really to criticize. Freedom of expression is unlimited and it goes for everybody. But to otherwise undermine and treat the Philippines like a — mattress there to wipe with your feet, that is something I…
I will not… It’s not… I am a politician. I have been enduring attacks almost 40 years — nearing 40 years after my term, Inshallah.
Pero kung insultuhin ako under the cloak of just being what? A Catholic, a priest? And you are a foreigner. Who are you.
Now it’s a violation of sovereignty. I am with the Executive department. I am a worker of that department and I give the orders. And the order of who gets in and who goes out is with me. Not in Congress, not in the Supreme Court. Ako. Ako ang magsabi being head, being there in that office in Pasig.
Papasukin mo ‘yan at mabait na tao. Huwag mong papasukin kasi walang-hiya ang bunganga ng madreng ‘yan. You do not have that right to criticize us. But you can come here and enjoy all the sights. And even I could invite you to attend.
Ako politiko ako but do not insult us every time that you open your mouth with your [unclear] inside at hanggang tilaok mo, throat.
Huwag ninyo akong… Dictatorship, oppression, the military forces in this ground will guarantee the Filipino nation that there will never be a dictator and there will never be anybody who would extend his term even for 22 hours.
They are bound by that rule of that flag. They are not bound to nurture loyalty to me and I do not like it.
Pero habang akong nandiyan, do not insult my country. Because you come here and go, akala ninyo… We never did that to Australia. We never did that to European countries.
Ikaw madre, why don’t you criticize your own government? The way you handled the refugees hungry and dying and you turned them back to the open sea. And now you’re getting rid of the natives there and refugees in an island. Bakit hindi ka magyak-yak doon?
You are too presumptuous about looking at the Filipinos. May human rights violation kayo mas grabe. Eh buti dito kriminal ang pinapatay ko, kayo?
Men, women and children seeking sanctuary. Under the heat of the sun and in the coldness of the night. You drove them back to where they came from and you know that they were also being rejected from the country which they were trying to flee.
Kayo marami kayong sakit ng ulo. Do not just pretend that you [unclear] because you’re a nun or priest. Who — I said who are you?
Your God is not my God. Remember that.
The way you adore God, it’s [unclear] on — corrupt. Stick to your own religion and try to correct the abuses within your organization, to address homosexuality and malpractices and adulterous priests. P*****…
Then you come in messing up with us, with this neo-liberalism of yours. You are trying to promote international or geographical governance.
That’s the more than [threat?] the west imposing their values on us. Please do not do that. Go home and try to solve your own problem.
European community, you cannot even handle the refugees, son of…
Beginning today, I will decide who gets in, who gets out. You want to question that, you go to court and I will follow.
But until then, you do not mess up with the sovereignty of this country. You treat it with disrespect, you come here with — you [unclear] and you try to defame government.
Huwag ako. Kaya ko. You know, I can — gusto mong murahan? I can give you a mouthful were it not for the solemnity and the dignity of… Kaya huwag ninyo ako.
Kayong mga left, do not ever, ever try to invite. I will not allow them in this country.
And if they decide to enter surreptitiously, they will be arrested. But if you come here, just deliver your piece about human rights in the proper way.
Pero kayong mga on the other side of the fence, ‘yung mga — kayong mga komunista, kayong mga left, huwag ninyo akong — I decide.
Kung gusto ninyo kayo, eh ‘di sana tumakbo kayo ng pagka-Presidente. ‘Di nanalo sana kayo, ‘di inyo na.
I have a duty to protect this country. If every time your loud mouth opens up, you would say, “It was the military who…”
It’s not their job. That is not the job of a military, watching whether who goes in and out of the Philippines.
Huwag ninyong abusuhin. Eh kung ganun, then you will suffer, not us.
Sabi ko na sa inyo eh, baka akalain lang ninyong isa akong ignoramus galing Mindanao, ay l****. Subukan nga natin. Not…
Martial law? Why would I need a martial law? And I said, “I can order your investigation.” Anybody. Six, nine, 36 hours for investigation purposes. It’s legal and especially if you shout there — sabihin mong mga military, mga taga-gobyerno mga g***, mga ano. Eh ‘di who are you?
Just because you are a nun? You go back to your country and try to ponder the enormity of your problems.
Kaya hindi ako pumunta dito — your race seems to be and every westerner in town, you think that you are far more superior than us, the Malay race.
You try to impose your values. You go about selling an idea from the State Department that if you agree to a same-sex marriage, we will give you this assistance.
Eat your money. I don’t give a… you can have your money. We will survive. Kakain kami ng… But this, the Philippines is not a pasture, it is not a grazing land for just any carabaos and animals like you to graze in the fields of… huwag ninyong… hindi ako papayag ng ganun.
‘Di bale ako. Wala man rin kayong magawa. You try to oust me then if I try to commit abuse, then there’s the military and the civilians, there’s the President Ramos, President Garcia — Arroyo, and the generals there.
Ba’t, wala ba itong mga utak? They would know a dictator. They can sense a son of a b****.
So do not worry. Their loyalty is there o. Ayan. It’s flying. This is where our loyalty belongs.
You come here and insult us, you trample with our sovereignty. That will never happen.
I assure you: if you begin to malign, defame government in any of those rallies there, I will order your arrest.
The only reason why she was released was she was not caught in flagrante delicto. Meaning to say she was not caught during her berating the government.
Sino kang pu — nasira tuloy ang barong ko. [laughter] Nakakasira ka ng porma. Do not give me that ke pari ka pati — we do not share the same God.
You Gods or God are different from mine. You do not have any authority more than mine. My God has common sense. Your God does not have it.
Salamat. [applause]
