Photo by Enrique Agcaoili
By Enrique Agcaoili
Trying her best to speak in Filipino, Sr. Patricia Fox spoke out on various issues she encountered while she is in the Philippines, during the Fr. Pedro V. Salgado, O.P. Conference held at St. Thomas Hall.
Sr. Fox graced her talk narrating the injustices she saw from her travels in the rural areas – wherein a child died out of suffocation.
“Kung malapit siya sa mga health services, kung may pera naman ang magulang hindi dapat namatay ang batang yan,” she said. “Wala naman serbisyo doon sa liblib na lugar”.
Since Sr. Fox’s stay here in the country, she has been more highlighted by the media for her participation in demonstrations than her voluntary social work. With this, she implied a biblical verse parallel to one of the 10 commandments – “love God and one another” – as her intent for performing voluntary deeds and opposing existing social injustices.
“Tamang mahalin ang kapwa tao," she said. “Kung may oppression, kung may poverty, kung may exploitation at kung hindi tayo sumama sa kanila. Kaya yan ang calling ko bilang madre at bilang tao.”
The missionary nun emphasized that the Bureau of Immigration’s deportation order against her meant that people like her must only focus on the catechism, not on social issues.
“Ang misyonero, ang taong simbahan dapat catechism lang at pagtuturo,” she said. “Hindi dapat lalabas, hindi dapat makialam sa mga issues ng tao.”
In her disagreement, she emphasized that that is contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ. She only followed the ways of our savior.
As the said event is in honor of the late Fr. Pedro V. Salgado, O.P., Sr. Fox also shared her takeaways from the writings and teachings of the late Dominican,
“Dapat ang puso natin ay doon sa mga tao at dapat nandiyan tayo sa mga tao,” she shared.
The Fr. Pedro V. Salgado, O.P. Conference is organized by the Dominicans for Justice, Peace and Care for Creation led by Rev. Fr. Victor C. Calvo, Jr, O.P. as its promoter in honor of the late Dominican priest who died on July 9, 2017.
Rev. Fr. Calvo is the Athletics Moderator of the Colegio. He is also the prior of the Convent of St. John Lateran.