My Idea of the Filipino Citizenship

8/4/2019 My Idea of the Filipino Citizenship

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My Idea of the Filipino CitizenshipBy Marcos F. Monderin

Prologue

A country exists because it has fulfilled the requisites of the nation for it to be

called an independent state, with which people or citizen is one of hem. Others would

include territory, government, and sovereignty.

A citizen swears allegiance, loyalty, and duty this country. And for a person to be

accepted as a member of such nation, he has to be identified with his nature ofcitizenship. Which would eventually lead to the two major types of citizenship, the

natural, and the acquired.

Understanding Filipino citizenship, in particular is founded in the Art. 4 of the

1987 Philippine Constitution. From this constitutional provision, it is clearly stated whoare to be called citizens of the Philippines.

Filipino Citizens

Filipino citizens are those enumerated as follows as provided in the Art. 4, Sec. 1 of the1987 Philippine Constitution:

First, persons who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this

Constitution.

Secondly, those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines.

Thirdly, persons who were born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who

elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; and

Fourth, persons who are naturalized in accordance with law.

However, citizenship in the Philippines can be identified as either natural or acquired.

Natural Born Filipino Citizen

Art. 4 , Sec. 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that

1. Natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth

without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine

citizenship.

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2. Those who elect Philippine citizenship in accordance with paragraph (3), Section

1 hereof shall be deemed natural-born citizens.

Though, supplemental information about natural acquisition of Filipino citizenship mayalso be elaborated in the context of the birth of a citizen. Philippine nationality law

provides that a person becomes a Philippine citizen by birth if

a. That person was born on or after October 15, 1986 and at least one parent was a

Philippine citizen on the birthdate;[3]

b. That person was born on or after January 17, 1973 and either both parents were

Philippine citizens on the birthdate or the person elected Philippine citizenship

pursuant to the provisions of the 1935 Constitution;[4]

c. The person was born on or after May 14, 1935 and the father was a Philippine

citizen or, if the father was not, the mother was a Philippine citizen and the person

elected Philippine citizenship pursuant to the provisions of the 1935 Constitution;[5]

d. That person was born on or after August 29, 1916 and prior to May 14, 1935 and

at least one parent was an inhabitant and resident of the Philippine Islands and aSpanish subject on April 11, 1899, or that person was an inhabitant and residentof the Philippine Islands and a Spanish subject on April 11, 1899, except in

certain specific cases.[6]

Naturalized or Acquired Filipino Citizenship

Commonwealth Act No. 473, approved June 17, 1939, provided that persons having

certain specified qualifications may become a citizen of the Philippines by naturalization.[7]

Republic Act No. 9139, approved June 8, 2001, provided that aliens under the age of 18

who were born in the Philippines, who have resided in the Philippines and have resided

therein since birth, and who possess other specified qualifications may be grantedPhilippines citizenship by administrative proceeding subject to certain requirements.[1][2]

Under Section 2 of the Revised Naturalization Law the applicant must possess the

following qualifications:

He/she must not be less than twenty-one (21) years of age on the day of thehearing of the petition;

He/she must have resided in the Philippines for a continuous period of not less

than ten (10) years;

He/she must be of good moral character and believes in the principles underlyingthe Philippine Constitution, and must have conducted himself in a proper and

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irreproachable manner during the entire period of his residence in the Philippines

in his relation with the constituted government as well as with the community in

which he is living;

He/she must own real estate in the Philippines worth not less than five thousand

(5000) pesos, Philippine currency, or must have some known lucrative trade,profession, or lawful occupation;

He/she must be able to speak or write English or Spanish or anyone of theprincipal languages;

He/she must have enrolled his minor children of school age in any of the public or

private schools recognized by the Bureau of Public Schools of the Philippines

where Philippine history, government and civics are taught or prescribed as partof the school curriculum, during the entire period of the residence in the

Philippines required of him prior to the hearing of the petition for naturalization

as Philippine citizen.

[8]

Losing or Reacquiring Philippine citizenship

As provided in Art. 4, Sec. 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Philippine citizenship

may be lost or reacquired in the manner provided by law.

Subsequently, Commonwealth Act No. 36, dated 20 October 1936, provides that

Philippine citizens may lose citizenship in any of the following ways and/or events:[9]

1. By naturalization in a foreign country;2. By express renunciation of citizenship;3. By subscribing to an oath of allegiance to support the constitution

or laws of a foreign country upon attaining twenty-one years of age or

more: Provided, however, That a Filipino may not divest himself ofPhilippine citizenship in any manner while the Republic of the Philippines

is at war with any country.

4. By rendering services to, or accepting commission in, the armedforces of a foreign country, and the taking of an oath of allegiance incident

thereto, except in certain specified cases;

5. By cancellation of the certificates of naturalization;

6. By having been declared by competent authority, a deserter of thePhilippine armed forces in time of war, unless subsequently, a plenary

pardon or amnesty has been granted; and

7. In the case of a woman, upon her marriage to a foreigner if, byvirtue of the laws in force in her husband's country, she acquires his

nationality.

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Republic Act No. 8171, approved 23 October 1995, provided a mechanism allowing

Filipino women who have lost their Philippine citizenship by marriage to aliens and

natural-born Filipinos who have lost their Philippine citizenship, including their minorchildren, on account of political or economic necessity, to reacquire Philippine

citizenship.[10]

Republic Act No. 9225, approved 29 August 2003, provided that all Philippine citizens

who become citizens of another country shall be deemed not to have lost their Philippinecitizenship under the conditions of this Act. It further states that natural-born citizens of

the Philippines who have lost their Philippine citizenship by reason of their naturalization

1. The Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000, Chanrobles Law Library, 8 June2001, http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9139.html, retrieved 2006-12-19.

2.^ ab

Rules and Regulations Implementing Republic Act No. 9139, Chanrobles

Law Library, http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9139rules.htm, retrieved 2006-

12-19.

3. ^ 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Chanrobles Law Library,15 October, 1986, http://www.chanrobles.com/philsupremelaw1.htm, retrieved 2008-10-

06.

4. 1973 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Supreme Court of thePhilippines e-library, 17 January 1973, http://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/index7.php?

doctype=Constitutions&docid=a45475a11ec72b843d74959b60fd7bd64558f6f05f5e6%20, retrieved 2009-08-04.

5. ^ 1935 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Chanrobles Law Library,14 May 1935, http://www.chanrobles.com/1935constitutionofthephilippines.htm,

retrieved 2008-10-06.6. ^ The Philippine Autonomy Act (Jones Law), Chanrobles Law Library, August29, 1916, http://www.chanrobles.com/joneslaw.htm, retrieved 2008-10-06.

7. ^Revised Naturalization Law, LAWPHIL Project, Arellano Law Foundation, 17June 1939, http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/comacts/ca_473_1939.html, retrieved 2008-

10-06

8. ^Philippine Citizenship, The Bureau of Immigration,http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?

option=com_content&task=view&id=206&Itemid=80,retrieved 3 July 2011

9. ^An act providing for the ways in which Philippine citizenship may be lost orreacquired, Chanrobles Law Library, 20 October 1936,http://www.chanrobles.com/commonwealthactno63.html, retrieved 2008-10-06.

10. ^An act providing for the repatriation of Filipino women who have lost theirPhilippine citizenship by marriage to aliens and natural-born Filipinos, Chanrobles LawLibrary, 23 October 1995, http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8171.html, retrieved

2008-10-06.

11. ^ Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, Chanrobles Law Library,29 August 2003, http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9225.html, retrieved 2008-10-

06.

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nwealthactno63.htmlhttp://www.chanrobles.com/commonwealthactno63.htmlhttp://www.chanrobles.com/commonwealthactno63.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_nationality_law#cite_ref-9%23cite_ref-9http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8171.htmlhttp://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8171.htmlhttp://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno8171.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_nationality_law#cite_ref-10%23cite_ref-10http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9225.htmlhttp://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9225.html


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My Idea of the Filipino Citizenship