PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY July 1 - 15 , 2018
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United Methodist bishops ask Philippine government to release UMC missionaries
The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church today issued the following statement pertaining to three United Methodist missionaries who have been prevented from leaving the Republic of the Philippines by the country ’ s government . The statement was signed by COB President Bishop Kenneth H . Carter and Global Ministries General Secretary Thomas Kemper . The three missionaries are being detained for several different reasons .
Tawanda Chandiwana , a citizen of Zimbabwe , was arrested and detained on May 9 in Davao City , and transferred to the BIWF Bicutan detention center , Taguig City Manila , on June 4 . He was initially charged with overstaying his missionary visa , although he was attempting to change his status to a tourist visa since he was nearing the end of his mission service in the Philippines ; the charge was expanded when his name was found on a “ watchlist ” of alleged subversives . He denies any wrongdoing and faults a delay in filing visa paperwork .
Miracle Osman , a citizen of Malawi , was in the process of renewing her missionary visa when her passport was confiscated by government officials . The lack of a passport makes it impossible for her to voluntarily leave the country . She has requested a return of her passport , which is the property of the Republic of Malawi .
Adam Shaw , a citizen of the United States , has been informed that an order to leave is imminent but it has not been served .
Chandiwana and Osman are part of the Global Mission Fellows program of the UMC mission agency , the General Board of Global Ministries .
Global Mission Fellows are young adults from around the world who give 20 months of mission service in countries different from their own . The program ’ s placements are coordinated with the church in the host country , in this case 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 .
All three missionaries , assigned to ministries in Davao City , took part in an international fact-finding investigation of human rights concerns in General Santos Province last February and apparently came under government surveillance at that time .
The UMC appeal said that it was convinced that their missionaries “ pose no threat to the peace and tranquility 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 .”
Joining the UMC in its call for the three missionaries to be allowed to leave the country is the World Council of Churches , which also expressed concern about the overall human rights climate in the Philippines .
“ The WCC has expressed alarm and outrage at the worsening human rights situation and increasing violence in the Philippines ,” stated WCC General Secretary the Rev . Olav Fykse Tveit .
“ We decry the illegal arrests , extrajudicial killings , large-scale forcible displacement of Indigenous Peoples , and damage to schools since martial law was imposed in May
2017 .”
The controversy over the UMC missionaries ’ treatment comes at a time when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has attacked religious groups , especially the Roman Catholic Church , for being critical of some of his domestic policies .
Recently , Duterte garnered international headlines for a speech he made at the opening of the 2018 National ICT Summit in Davao City where he called God “ stupid .”
“ This son of a whore must really be stupid . You created some
— something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work ,” said Duterte , as translated by Manila Standard on Sunday . Some have claimed that Duterte ’ s rhetoric against the church could be fueling violence , such as recent murders of priests .
For his part , Duterte has denied these accusations and has sought to reach out to the Catholic Church following his anti-religious comments . ●
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