My name is Rolando Condat, Pastor of Hope Christian Church Queanbeyan, of legal age and an Australian Citizen. I am submitting this petition letter to support the Jestingor Family to live permanently in Australia.

I have known this family since November 2014 and they’ve been a regular member of Hope Christian Church Queanbeyan. Joey holds an incredibly significant role in our church. He became our youth leader in 2014 and since then played important roles. Currently he is coordinating one of our Bible study group looking after 10 or more members. Part of his role is to plan activities of the group, teach and mentor young Christians in a weekly basis. In addition to that, he is now the newest member of Hope Queanbeyan preaching roster. Joey is a friend and an encourager. He invests his time and energy towards the spiritual growth and improvement of other people’s lives through the word of God. On the other hand, Rizalina or Rezy as we fondly call her, plays an equally important role in our church family. She is part of the ushering team who warmly welcomes our Sunday attendees and distribute communion. Furthermore, she serves in the ministry as one of the core team leader to support her husband Joey being the Lifegroup coordinator.

Joey works as one of the senior registered nurses at The Canberra Hospital Orthopaedics ward since March of 2014. He is an honest, dedicated and hardworking nurse whose daily goal is to look after the welfare of his client physically and also spiritually. With this global pandemic that is happening, his role as a front liner is considered essential. Rezy has been Patricia’s full-time carer while Joey and the two older children provide additional support. Ysabella and Gabriel, the two older children of Joey and Rezy, grew up here in Australia. Finished their High School and College here. Gabriel has a Diploma in Designs at the University of Canberra and is now working. Ysabella is in her 2nd Year at UCH taking up Biomedical Science.

The Jestingor Family applied for permanent residency in 2015 but was refused due to Patricia’s medical condition. Patricia is the youngest out of the 3 children of Joey and Rizalina. Patricia has been diagnosed to have autism and a disease in her retina causing her to lose her vision.

Joey, Rizalina, Ysabella and Gabriel are currently waiting for the approval of their 482 visa application while Patricia has been blocked to apply for a visa due to her medical condition. Patricia’s case has gone up to the Home Affair Minister’s Office requesting for intervention in which there is no assurance yet of what the result will be. I am bringing out this petition to support the Jestingor family appeal for help from the Home Affairs Minister, The Prime Minister and the Legislative Body to grant them consideration to live permanently in Australia. Joey has exceeded the age requirement to apply for permanent residency because of this whole ordeal. And if Patricia won’t be granted a visa and she will be forced to go back to the Philippines, it would bring a tremendous traumatic experience to the whole family which would take a long time to heal and re-build. And if the whole family will be sent back home, they will suffer mentally, emotionally and financially. They have nothing to go back home. Nowhere to stay. No work. No social connections and going back to a country with more than 1.2 million Covid cases, it will be a terrible experience for all of them.

If the Jestingor family will be given a chance to live permanently here in Australia, rest assured that this lovely family will do great for this country or even better on what they have started. Surely, they will continue giving back to their local community and the country as a whole.