- HI Atty, saw this post however it was since 2013, http://www.balita.ca/2013/09/27/recogntion-of-philippine-citizenship.
I was hoping you can shed some light on my concern. I’ve been reading a lot of things online saying as long as I have an NSO/PSA birth certificate (report of birth abroad on NSO/PSA paper) then i can just go apply for a Philippine passport as do all the normal citizens.
I was born in the US to Filipino parents and they reported by birth abroad at the Philippine Consulate. This report of live birth abroad is also used as my NSO/PSA birth certificate since i am now residing in the Philippines.
Is it really necessary for me to have my Filipino citizenship “recognized” (Recognition of Philippine Citizenship) even though I am already considered a natural-born Filipino citizen by blood? Won’t the DFA accept my application with just the normal requirements in applying for a PH passport (1 valid ID, 2 support documents and PSA birth certificate)? Hoping you can point me in the right direction. Thanks heaps.
ANS: Hello Heaps, What does your birth Certificate states about your citizenship ? According to you, your fact of birth was registered with the PSA through the Philippine Consulate abroad. If you were born after the effectivity of the 1973 Constitution and the record of entries in your birth certificate clearly states that one or both of your parents is or are Filipino citizen(s), then as a child a Filipino citizen at the time of your birth ,then you are considered as natural-born Filipino Citizen by birth. Hence, there is no need for you to apply for recognition of your Philippine citizenship, as you are deemed recognized as Filipino Citizen at the time of birth. And Considering further that you were born in the USA, you are also considered as US citizen under the principle of jus soli. You are therefore a typical example of a Dual citizen by birth .
Recognition of Philippine citizenship on the other hand could be secured from the Bureau of Immigration(BI). This remedy is usually accorded to a person considered as a citizen of the Philippines by birth but has no evidence of such citizenship like birth certificate as proof of citizenship issued or registered by the Office the Philippine Statistics Office(PSO) now known the Philippine Statistics Office(PSO).
My view, is that your birth certificate issued and authenticated by the Philippine statistic Authority(PSA) is the best evidence of your Philippine citizenship. Hence, should you wish to apply for a Philippine passport, you only have to comply with the standard DFA requirements prescribed to other ordinary Filipino citizens, like the presentation of authenticated NSO/PSA copy of your birth certificate, among others.
Moreover, neither it could be said that the Dual Citizenship Act or R.A. 9225, could be applicable in your case as this law is applicable only to former natural-Born Filipino citizenship who have acquired foreign citizenship after their birth, on account of their naturalization with other country’s citizenship.
As stated earlier, under the constitution, a Filipino citizen is one whose father or mother is a citizen of the Philippines at the time of his/her birth. As a dual citizenship by birth, you did not lose your Filipino citizenship when you made used or invoked your US citizenship . Your case is similar to that of actor-politician Edu Manzano.
Looking forward you’ll find the above in order as this corner welcomes you the “Batas Pinoy Global Community”.
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