DAVAO CITY – Three foreign missionaries who took part in a fact-finding investigation of alleged human rights abuses in southern Philippines had been detained by authorities, according to the United Methodist Church.
It said the trio - Tawanda Chandiwana, Miracle Osman and Adam Shaw – have been arrested in Mindanao and brought to a detention center in Taguig City, just outside the Philippine capital, Manila.
Chandiwana, from Zimbabwe, was arrested on May 9 in Davao City. He was initially charged with overstaying his missionary visa and the charge was expanded when his name was found on a “watch list” of alleged subversives. He denied any wrongdoing and faults a delay in filing visa paperwork.
Osman, a citizen of Malawi, was in the process of renewing her missionary visa, according to the United Methodist Church, when her passport was confiscated by government officials. And Shaw, an American citizen, has been informed that an order to leave is imminent, but it has not been served.
“All three missionaries, assigned to ministries in Davao City, took part in an international fact-finding investigation of human rights concerns in General Santos City last February and apparently came under government surveillance at that time,” the United Methodist Church said.
It said the missionaries pose no threat to the peace and tranquillity of the Philippines.
“Our request is that Chandiwana be released from detention, granted an exit visa, and be allowed to leave the country as expeditiously as possible. We ask that Osman’s passport be returned and she be granted an exit visa, and that Shaw be allowed to depart safely,” it added, saying, “We have placed young adult missionaries in Mindanao since 2006. We hope to continue to work productively with Filipino partners.”
The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church has appealed to the Duterte government for the release of the missionaries, who are part of the Global Mission Fellows program who give 20 months of mission service in countries different from their own.
The program’s placements are coordinated with the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, which is an organic part of our international denomination, represented by three episcopal areas, Manila, Davao and Baguio. “We call on United Methodists worldwide to observe daily prayer beginning at noon on June 27 for the missionaries’ safety and for government permission to return to their homes,” it said.
There was no immediate statement from the Bureau of Immigration and government leaders on the arrest and detention of the missionaries. Two Catholic priests - Father Marcelito Paez and Father Mark Ventura, had been murdered and another wounded in a gun attack, Father Rey Urmeneta, in the Philippines since December last year. (Mindanao Examiner)
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