va||es v come|ec

C8 no 137000 (AugusL 9 2000)

lAC1S 8espondenL was born ln AusLralla Lo a llllplno faLher and an AusLrallan moLher AusLralla
follows [us soll She ran for governor CpponenL flled peLlLlon Lo dlsquallfy her on Lhe ground of dual
clLlzenshlp
PLLu uual clLlzenshlp as a dlsquallflcaLlon refers Lo clLlzens wlLh dual alleglance 1he facL LhaL she has
dual clLlzenshlp does noL auLomaLlcally dlsquallfy her from runnlng for publlc offlce llllng a cerLlflcaLe
of candldacy sufflces Lo renounce forelgn clLlzenshlp because ln Lhe cerLlflcaLe Lhe candldaLe declares
hlmself Lo be a llllplno clLlzen and LhaL he wlll supporL Lhe hlllpplne ConsLlLuLlon Such declaraLlon
operaLes as an effecLlve renunclaLlon of forelgn clLlzenshlp



lssue WCn 8osallnd Lopez ls a llllplno clLlzen and Lherefore quallfled Lo run for publlc offlce Peld ?es
8aLlo 1he hlllpplne law on clLlzenshlp adheres Lo Lhe prlnclple of [us sangulnls1hereunder a chlld
follows Lhe naLlonallLy or clLlzenshlp of Lhe parenLs regardless of Lhe place of hls/her blrLhas opposed Lo
Lhe docLrlne of [us soll whlch deLermlnes naLlonallLy or clLlzenshlp on Lhe basls of place of blrLh 8osallnd
Lopez was born on May 16 1934 ln napler 1errace 8roome WesLern AusLralla Lo Lhe spouses
1elesforo ?basco a llllplno clLlzen and naLlve of uaeL Camarlnes norLe and 1heresa Marquez an
AusLrallanPlsLorlcally Lhls was a year before Lhe 1933 ConsLlLuLlon Look lnLo effecL and aL LhaL Llme
whaL served as Lhe ConsLlLuLlon of Lhe hlllpplnes were Lhe prlnclpal organlc acLs by whlch Lhe unlLed
SLaLes governed Lhe counLry1hese were Lhe hlllpplne 8lll of !uly 1 1902 and Lhe hlllpplne AuLonomy
AcL of AugusL 29 1916 also known as Lhe !ones Law


1LCSCN V CCMMISSICN CN LLLC1ICNS
VI1UG March 3 2004

lAC1S
Cn uecember 31 2003 l! flled hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy for Lhe poslLlon of resldenL of Lhe
hlllpplnes under Lhe koallsyon ng nagkakalsang lllplno (kn)
ln hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy l! represenLed hlmself Lo be a naLuralborn clLlzen
Pls real name was sLaLed Lo be lernando !r" or 8onald Allan" oe born ln Manlla on AugusL 20
1939
Cn !anuary 9 2004 vlcLorlno x lornler flled a peLlLlon before Lhe CCMLLLC Lo dlsquallfy l! and Lo
deny due course or Lo cancel hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy on Lhe ground LhaL l! made a maLerlal
mlsrepresenLaLlon ln hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy by clalmlng Lo be a naLuralborn llllplno clLlzen
Accordlng Lo lornler l!'s parenLs were forelgners hls moLher 8essle kelley oe was an Amerlcan
and hls faLher Allan l oe was a Spanlsh naLlonal belng a son of Lorenzo ou a Spanlsh sub[ecL
Lven lf Allan l oe was a llllplno clLlzen he could noL have LransmlLLed hls llllplno clLlzenshlp Lo l!
because l! was llleglLlmaLe
Allan l oe conLracLed a prlor marrlage Lo a cerLaln aullLa Comez before marrylng 8essle kelley
accordlng Lo an uncerLlfled" copy of a supposed cerLlflcaLlon of Lhe marrlage ln !uly 3 1936
Lven lf no such prlor marrlage exlsLed Allan l oe marrled 8essey kelley only a year afLer Lhe blrLh of
l! 1he marrlage cerLlflcaLe of Lhelr marrlage reflecLed Lhe daLe of Lhelr marrlage Lo be on SepLember
16 1940 where Allan was 23 unmarrled and llllplno and 8essle was 22 unmarrled and Amerlcan
l!'s earllesL esLabllshed ascendanL was hls grandfaLher Lorenzo ou
no blrLh cerLlflcaLe for Lorenzo buL hls deaLh cerLlflcaLe lssued upon hls deaLh ln SepLember 11 1934
aL age 84 ldenLlfled hlm as a llllplno resldlng ln San Carlos angaslnan
Lorenzo marrled MarLa 8eyes and Lhelr son Allan was born on May 17 1913 1he blrLh cerLlflcaLe of
Allan showed LhaL hls faLher was an Lspanol faLher and Lo a mesLlza Lspanol moLher

rocedure
ln Lhe !anuary 19 2004 hearlng before Lhe CCMLLLC lornler presenLed Lhe followlng pleces of
evldence
Copy of Lhe cerLlflcaLe of blrLh of l!
CerLlfled phoLocopy of an affldavlL by aullLa Comezoe aLLesLlng LhaL she had flled a blgamy case
agalnsL Allan l oe because of hls relaLlonshlp wlLh kelley (ln Spanlsh)
Lngllsh LranslaLlon of (b)
CerLlfled copy of Lhe cerLlflcaLe of blrLh of Allan l oe
CerLlflcaLlon from Lhe dlrecLor of Lhe 8ecords ManagemenL and Archlves Cfflce sLaLlng LhaL a Lorenzo
oe/ou reslded ln Lhe hlllpplnes before 1907
CerLlflcaLlon from ClC of Lhe Archlves ulvlslon of Lhe naLlonal Archlves sLaLlng LhaL Lhere was no
avallable lnformaLlon regardlng Lhe blrLh of Allan l oe
l! presenLed Lhe followlng pleces of evldence among oLhers
CerLlflcaLlon LhaL Lhere was no avallable lnformaLlon regardlng Lhe blrLh of Allan l oe ln Lhe reglsLry
of blrLhs for San Carlos angaslnan
CerLlflcaLlon by Lhe ClC of Lhe Archlves ulvlslon of Lhe naLlonal Archlves LhaL Lhere was no avallable
lnformaLlon abouL Lhe marrlage of Allan l oe and aullLa Comez
CerLlflcaLe of blrLh of 8onald Allan l oe
Crlglnal CerLlflcaLe of 1lLle lf Lhe 8eglsLry ueeds of angaslnan ln Lhe name of Lorenzo ou
Coples of Lax declaraLlons under Lhe name of Lorenzo ou
Copy of cerLlflcaLe of deaLh of Lorenzo ou
Copy of marrlage conLracL of lernando ou and 8essle kelley
CerLlflcaLlon lssued by Lhe ClLy Clvll 8eglsLrar of San Carlos angaslnan sLaLlng LhaL Lhe records of Lhe
blrLh of Lhe sald offlce from 1900 Lo May 1946 were desLroyed durlng World War ll
!anuary 23 2004 CCMLLLC dlsmlssed Lhe lornler peLlLlon for lack of merlL and lornler flled a moLlon
for reconslderaLlon on !anuary 26 2004 1he moLlon was denled by Lhe CCMLLLC en banc on lebruary
6 2004
lebruary 10 2004 lornler flled a peLlLlon before Lhe Supreme CourL praylng for 18C a wrlL of
prellmlnary ln[uncLlon or any oLher resoluLlon LhaL would sLay Lhe flnallLy and/or execuLlon of Lhe
CCMLLLC resoluLlons
1he Lwo oLher peLlLlons (1ecson and uesldero v CCMLLLC and velez v oe) challenge Lhe [urlsdlcLlon
of Lhe CCMLLLC and asserL LhaL only Lhe Supreme CourL has orlglnal and excluslve [urlsdlcLlon Lo resolve
Lhe baslc lssue on Lhe case

lSSuLS
1 uoes Lhe CourL have [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe Lhree cases flled?
2 Can l! be dlsquallfled as a presldenLlal candldaLe on Lhe ground LhaL he maLerlally mlsrepresenLed ln
hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy LhaL he was a naLuralborn llllplno?

PLLu
1 8aLlo !urlsdlcLlon lssue
1he CCMLLLC's declslon on dlsquallfled cases lnvolvlng a presldenLlal candldaLe could be elevaLed Lo
and could be Laken cognlzance by Lhe Supreme CourL
1he [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe Supreme CourL would noL lnclude cases dlrecLly broughL before lL quesLlonlng
Lhe quallflcaLlons of a candldaLe for Lhe presldency or vlcepresldency before Lhe elecLlons are held
8easonlng
uoes Lhe CourL have [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe Lhree cases flled?
lornler peLlLlon ?es
ln seeklng Lhe dlsquallflcaLlon of l! before Lhe CCMLLLC lornler relled on Lhe followlng
A verlfled peLlLlon seeklng Lo deny due course or Lo cancel a cerLlflcaLe of candldacy may be flled by
any person excluslvely on Lhe ground LhaL any maLerlal represenLaLlon conLalned Lhereln as requlred
under SecLlon 74 ls false" (Cmnlbus LlecLlon Code Sec 78)
Lhe Commlsslon shall have excluslve charge of Lhe enforcemenL and admlnlsLraLlon of all laws
relaLlve Lo Lhe conducL of elecLlons for Lhe purpose of endurlng free orderly and honesL elecLlons"
(Sec 32 same)
any lnLeresLed parLy" auLhorlzed Lo flle a verlfled peLlLlon Lo deny or cancel Lhe cerLlflcaLe of
candldacy of any nulsance candldaLe (ArL 69 same)
ueclslons of Lhe CCMLLLC on dlsquallflcaLlon cases may be revlewed by Lhe Supreme CourL under Lhe
8evlsed 8ules of Clvll rocedure (8ule 63) Aslde from LhaL accordlng Lo ArL 9 Sec 7 of Lhe
ConsLlLuLlon any declslon order or rullng of each Commlsslon may be broughL Lo Lhe Supreme CourL
on cerLlorarl by Lhe aggrleved parLy wlLhln LhlrLy days from recelpL Lhereof"
!udlclal power ls vesLed ln Lhe Supreme CourL whlch lncludes Lhe duLy of Lhe courLs Lo seLLle acLual
conLroversles lnvolvlng rlghLs whlch are legally demandable and enforceable and Lo deLermlne wheLher
or noL Lhere has been grave abuse of dlscreLlon amounLlng Lo lack or excess of [urlsdlcLlon on Lhe parL of
any branch of lnsLrumenLallLy of Lhe governmenL (ArL 8 Sec 1 ConsLlLuLlon)
1ecson peLlLlon and velez peLlLlon no
1he 1ecson and velez peLlLlons make use of ArL 7 Sec 4(7) of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon ln assalllng Lhe
CCMLLLC's [urlsdlcLlon when lL Look cognlzance of Lhe lornler peLlLlon because Lhe Supreme CourL
slLLlng en banc shall be Lhe sole [udge of all conLesLs relaLlng Lo Lhe elecLlon reLurns and quallflcaLlons of
Lhe resldenL or vlce resldenL and may promulgaLe lLs rules for Lhe purpose"
A conLesL" refers Lo a posLelecLlon scenarlo LlecLlon conLesLs are elLher elecLlon proLesLs or a quo
warranLo whlch would have Lhe ob[ecLlve of dlslodglng Lhe wlnner from offlce 1he 8ules of Lhe
resldenLlal LlecLoral 1rlbunal sLaLe
1rlbunal shall be Lhe sole [udge of all conLesLsrelaLlng Lo quallflcaLlons of Lhe resldenL or vlce
resldenL of Lhe hlllpplnes" (8ule 12)
An elecLlon conLesL ls lnlLlaLed by Lhe flllng of an elecLlon conLesL or a peLlLlon for quowarranLo
agalnsL Lhe resldenL or vlceresldenL" (8ule 13)
Cnly Lhe reglsLered candldaLe for resldenL or vlceresldenL who recelved Lhe second or Lhlrd
hlghesL number of voLes may conLesL Lhe elecLlon of Lhe resldenL or Lhe vlceresldenLby flllng a
verlfled peLlLlonwlLhln 30 days afLer Lhe proclamaLlon of Lhe wlnner" (8ule 14)
1he rules speak of Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe Lrlbunal over conLesLs relaLlng Lo Lhe elecLlon reLurns and
quallflcaLlons of Lhe resldenL and Lhe vlce resldenL and noL candldaLes for resldenL or vlceresldenL

2 8aLlo l!'s clLlzenshlp lssue (voLlng 6 concur 7 dlssenL 1 absLenLlon and 1 separaLe oplnlon)
1he dlsLlncLlons beLween leglLlmacy and llleglLlmacy should only remaln ln Lhe sphere of clvll law and
should noL unduly lmplnge on Lhe domaln of pollLlcal law
1he 1933 ConsLlLuLlon confers clLlzenshlp Lo all persons whose faLhers are llllplno regardless of
wheLher such chlldren are leglLlmaLe of llleglLlmaLe
8easonlng
Can l! be dlsquallfled as a presldenLlal candldaLe on Lhe ground LhaL he maLerlally mlsrepresenLed ln
hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy LhaL he was a naLuralborn llllplno?
ConcepL of clLlzenshlp
ArlsLoLle descrlbed a clLlzen as a man who shared ln Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of [usLlce and ln Lhe holdlng of
an offlce and Lhe sLaLe would be composed of such lndlvlduals ln order Lo achleve a selfsufflclenL
exlsLence
ClLlzenshlp deals wlLh rlghLs and enLlLlemenLs on Lhe one hand and wlLh concomlLanL obllgaLlons on
Lhe oLher
ClLlzenshlp underwenL changes ln Lhe 18Lh Lo 20Lh cenLurles
ln Lhe 18Lh cenLury Lhe concepL was clvll clLlzenshlp whlch esLabllshed Lhe rlghLs necessary for
necessary for lndlvldual freedom (eg 8lghLs Lo properLy personal llberLy and [usLlce)
ln Lhe 19Lh cenLury lL expanded Lo lnclude pollLlcal clLlzenshlp whlch encompassed Lhe rlghL Lo
parLlclpaLe ln Lhe exerclse of pollLlcal power
ln Lhe 20Lh cenLury Lhere was Lhe developmenL of soclal clLlzenshlp whlch lald emphasls on Lhe rlghL
of Lhe clLlzen Lo economlc wellbelng and soclal securlLy
lnLernaLlonallzaLlon of clLlzenshlp ls an ongolng developmenL

ClLlzenshlp ln Lhe hlllpplnes from Lhe Spanlsh Llmes Lo Lhe presenL
uurlng Lhe Spanlsh perlod no such Lerm as hlllpplne clLlzens" only Spanlsh sub[ecLs" ln church
records naLlves were ldenLlfled as lndlos"
Spanlsh laws on clLlzenshlp lncluded
Crder de la 8egencla of 1841
8oyal uecree of 23 AugusL 1868 (deflned Lhe pollLlcal sLaLus of chlldren born ln Lhe hlllpplnes)
Ley LxLran[era de ulLramar of 1870
1he 1876 Spanlsh ConsLlLuLlon was noL exLended Lo Lhe hlllpplnes because Lhe colony was Lo be
governed by speclal laws
Accordlng Lo Lhe Clvll Code of Spaln Lhe followlng were Spanlsh clLlzens
ersons born ln Spanlsh LerrlLory
Chlldren of a Spanlsh faLher or moLher even lf Lhey were born ouLslde Spaln
lorelgners who have obLalned naLurallzaLlon papers
1hose who wlLhouL such papers may have become domlclled lnhablLanLs of any Lown of Lhe
Monarchy
ArLlcle 10 of Lhe 1reaLy of arls sLaLed LhaL Lhe clvll and pollLlcal sLaLus of Lhe naLlve lnhablLanLs would
be deLermlned by Lhe uS Congress Spanlsh sub[ecLs and naLlves who choose Lo remaln ln Lhe LerrlLory
may preserve Lhelr alleglance Lo Lhe Crown of Spaln by maklng a declaraLlon of Lhelr declslon wlLhln a
year from Lhe daLe of Lhe raLlflcaLlon of Lhe LreaLy lf no such declaraLlon ls made Lhelr alleglance shall
be held renounced and Lhey would have adopLed Lhe naLlonallLy of Lhe LerrlLory ln whlch Lhey reslde
upon raLlflcaLlon of Lhe LreaLy Lhe naLlve lnhablLanLs of Lhe hlllpplnes became Spanlsh sub[ecLs
1hey dld noL become Amerlcan clLlzens buL were lssued passporLs descrlblng Lhem Lo be clLlzens of Lhe
hlllpplnes enLlLled Lo proLecLlon of Lhe uS
hlllpplne Crganlc AcL of 1902 flrsL appearance of Lhe Lerm clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplne lslands" A
clLlzen of Lhe hlllpplne lslands under Lhls AcL was
An lnhablLanL of Lhe hlllpplnes and a Spanlsh sub[ecL on Aprll 11 1899
An lnhablLanL meanL
A naLlve born lnhablLanL
An lnhablLanL who was a naLlve of Spaln
An lnhablLanL who obLalned Spanlsh papers on or before Aprll 11 1899
ConLroversy as Lo Lhe clLlzenshlp of a chlld born beLween Aprll 11 1899 and !uly 1 1902 as Lhere was
no clLlzenshlp law ln Lhe hlllpplnes 1he common law prlnclple [us soll (prlnclple of LerrlLorlallLy) was
sald Lo govern Lhose born ln Lhe hlllpplnes durlng Lhls Llme
hlllpplne AuLonomy AcL (!ones Law) A naLlve born lnhablLanL of Lhe hlllpplnes was deemed Lo be a
clLlzen of Lhe hlllpplnes as of Aprll 11 1899 lf
A Spanlsh sub[ecL on Aprll 11 1899
8esldlng ln Lhe hlllpplnes on Lhe sald daLe
Slnce LhaL daLe noL a clLlzen of anoLher counLry
1933 ConsLlLuLlon provlded LhaL [us sangulnls (blood relaLlonshlp) be Lhe basls for clLlzenshlp as
sLaLed ln Sec 1 ArL 3
1hose who are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplne lslands aL Lhe Llme of Lhe adopLlon of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon
1hose born ln Lhe hlllpplne lslands of forelgn parenLs who before Lhe adopLlon of Lhls ConsLlLuLlon
had been elecLed Lo publlc offlce ln Lhe hlllpplne lslands
1hose whose faLhers are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes
1hose whose moLhers are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes and upon reachlng Lhe age of ma[orlLy elecL
hlllpplne clLlzenshlp
1hose who are naLurallzed ln accordance wlLh law
1973 ConsLlLuLlon CorrecLed Sec 1 ArL 3 (4) of Lhe 1933 ConsLlLuLlon whlch when Laken LogeLher
wlLh Lhe exlsLlng clvll law provlslons would provlde LhaL women would auLomaLlcally lose Lhelr llllplno
clLlzenshlp and acqulre LhaL of Lhelr forelgn husbands 1hls was deemed dlscrlmlnaLory ln LhaL lL
lncapaclLaLed Lhe llllplno woman from LransmlLLlng her clLlzenshlp Lo her leglLlmaLe chlldren and
requlred llleglLlmaLe chlldren of llllplno moLhers Lo sLlll elecL llllplno clLlzenshlp upon reachlng Lhe age
of ma[orlLy 1he provlslons of Sec 1 ArL 3 of Lhe 1973 ConsLlLuLlon sLaLe LhaL Lhe followlng are clLlzens
of Lhe hlllpplnes
1hose who are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes aL Lhe Llme of Lhe adopLlon of Lhls ConsLlLuLlon
1hose whose faLhers or moLhers are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes
1hose who elecL hlllpplne clLlzenshlp pursuanL Lo Lhe provlslons of Lhe 1933 ConsLlLuLlon
1hose who are naLurallzed ln accordance wlLh law
Add Sec 2 of Lhe same arLlcle whlch provlded LhaL a female clLlzen of Lhe hlllpplnes who marrles an
allen reLalners her hlllpplne clLlzenshlp unless by her acL or omlsslon she ls deemed Lo have renounced
her clLlzenshlp under Lhe law
1987 ConsLlLuLlon almed Lo correcL Lhe lrregular slLuaLlon generaLed by Lhe quesLlonable provlso ln
Lhe 1933 ConsLlLuLlon whlch ouLllnes ln ArLlcle 4 Sec 1 LhaL Lhe followlng are llllplno clLlzens
1hose who are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes aL Lhe Llme of Lhe adopLlon of Lhls ConsLlLuLlon
1hose whose faLhers and moLhers are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes
1hose born before !anuary 17 1973 of llllplno moLhers who elecL hlllpplne clLlzenshlp upon reachlng
Lhe age of ma[orlLy
1hose who are naLurallzed ln accordance wlLh law

1he ConsLlLuLlon requlres LhaL Lhe resldenL of Lhe hlllpplnes should be among Lhe many
requlremenLs a naLuralborn clLlzen of Lhe hlllpplnes (ArL 7 Sec 2)
naLural born clLlzen clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes from blrLh wlLhouL havlng Lo perform any acL Lo
acqulre or perfecL Lhelr hlllpplne clLlzenshlp
ClLlzenshlp of l! ln relaLlon Lo grandfaLher Lorenzo ou's clLlzenshlp and faLher Allan l oe's
clLlzenshlp
Allan l oe was a llllplno clLlzen because hls faLher Lorenzo was also llllplno
Concluslons wlLh some degree of cerLalnLy Lo be drawn from Lhe documenLs presenLed
1he parenLs of l! were Allen oe and 8essle kelley
l! was born Lo Lhem on AugusL 20 1939
Allan l oe and 8essle kelley were marrled Lo each oLher on SepLember 16 1940
1he faLher of Allan l oe was Lorenzo ou
AL Lhe Llme of hls deaLh on SepLember 11 1934 Lorenzo oe was 84 years old
1he publlc documenLs submlLLed are deemed LrusLworLhy
1he Lhree documenLs (blrLh cerLlflcaLe of l! marrlage cerLlflcaLe of 8essle and Allan and Lhe deaLh
cerLlflcaLe of Lorenzo) were cerLlfled Lrue coples of Lhe orlglnals
1he 8ules of CourL (130 SecLlon 3) sLaLe LhaL when Lhe sub[ecL of Lhe lnqulry ls Lhe conLenL of Lhe
documenL no evldence shall be admlsslble excepL Lhe orlglnal documenL lLself Cne of Lhe excepLlons
however ls when Lhe orlglnal ls a publlc record ln Lhe cusLody of a publlc offlce ls recorded ln a publlc
offlce
As publlc documenLs Lhe Lhree documenLs are prlma facle proof of Lhelr conLenLs as sLaLed ln Lhe
8ules of CourL (130 SecLlon 44) LhaL Lhe enLrles ln offlclal records made by a publlc offlcer ln Lhe
performance of hls duLy are prlma facle evldence of Lhe facLs sLaLed Lhereln 1hls ls grounded on' of
offlclal duLy ln Lhe preparaLlon of Lhe sLaLemenL made 1he penalLy afflxed Lo a breach of LhaL duLy
8ouLlne and dlslnLeresLed orlgln of mosL such sLaLemenLs ubllclLy of Lhe record whlch makes more
llkely Lhe prlor exposure of such errors as mlghL have occurred
lL ls safe Lo assume LhaL Lorenzo ou's place of resldence aL Lhe Llme of deaLh was Lhe same as hls
resldence before deaLh ln Lhe absence of evldence LhaL would aLLesL oLherwlse ln LhaL case Lorenzo
ou would have beneflLed from Lhe en masse llllplnlzaLlon" LhaL Lhe hlllpplne 8lll effecLed ln 1902
1hls clLlzenshlp would Lhen exLend Lo hls son Allan l oe l!'s faLher
Lorenzo born someLlme ln 1870 durlng Lhe Spanlsh colonlzaLlon perlod
lornler argues LhaL Lorenzo was noL ln Lhe hlllpplnes durlng Lhe cruclal perlod of 1898 Lo 1902 buL
Lhere ls no exlsLlng record Lo aLLesL Lo LhaL clalm
lornler falled Lo show LhaL Lorenzo was ouL of Lhe counLry durlng LhaL same Llme perlod
Lorenzo's resldence aL Lhe Llme of deaLh was ln San Carlos angaslnan
lor proof of flllaLlon or paLernlLy Lhe mandaLory rules of clvll law would noL apply ln Lhls case 1he
duly noLarlzed declaraLlon by 8uby kelley Mangahas l!'s maLernal aunL and slsLer of hls moLher 8essle
provlng Lhe acLs of Allan l oe recognlzlng hls own paLernal relaLlonshlp wlLh l! (llvlng wlLh 8essle and
Lhe chlldren ln one house as one famlly) would be accepLed
lornler argues LhaL Lhe mandaLory rules under clvll rule should apply because l! was an llleglLlmaLe
son
AcknowledgemenL needed Lo esLabllsh paLernlLy (eg AcknowledgemenL ln Lhe blrLh cerLlflcaLe by
slgnlng name)
ln Lhe l! case Lhere was no slgnaLure of Allan l oe ln Lhe blrLh cerLlflcaLe of l!
1930 Clvll Code acknowledgemenL of llleglLlmaLe chlldren of Lhree Lypes whlch had Lo be done durlng
Lhe llfeLlme of Lhe presumed parenL
volunLary (expressly made ln record blrLh wlll or a sLaLemenL before Lhe courL ln auLhenLlc wrlLlng)
Legal (ln favor of full blood broLhers and slsLers of an llleglLlmaLe chlld who was recognlzed as naLural)
Compulsory (demanded generally ln cases when Lhe chlld had ln hls favor any evldence Lo prove
flllaLlon)
1he lamlly Code has llberallzed Lhe rules as sLaLed ln ArLlcles 172 173 and 173 and Lhe rules have
reLroacLlve effecL (ArLlcle 233) 1hese provlslons are Lhere Lo govern Lhe prlvaLe and personal affalrs of
Lhe famlly 1here ls llLLle lndlcaLlon LhaL Lhls should also govern hls pollLlcal rlghLs
1hls should be Laken ln Lhe conLexL of clvll law belng LhaL branch of law whlch ls concerned wlLh Lhe
organlzaLlon of Lhe famlly and regulaLlon of properLy 1he relevance of clLlzenshlp ls exempllfled ln ArL
13 of Lhe Clvll Code
1he proof of flllaLlon for purposes of deLermlnlng clLlzenshlp sLaLus should be deemed lndependenL
from Lhose prescrlbed for clvll code purposes 1he ordlnary rules should govern
unA LesLlng Lo prove paLernlLy could also be resorLed Lo
1here ls no [urlsprudence Lo prove LhaL an llleglLlmaLe chlld cannoL lnherlL hls faLher's clLlzenshlp
lornler argues LhaL even lf Allan l oe were llllplno Allan's clLlzenshlp would noL have been
LransmlLLed Lo l! because l! was llleglLlmaLe
l! was alleged Lo be llleglLlmaLe because of Lhe blgamous marrlage beLween hls parenLs Allan and
8essle for Lhe reason LhaL Allan allegedly had a prlor exlsLlng marrlage Lo a cerLaln aullLa Comez 1he
CourL held LhaL Lhe veraclLy of Lhls marrlage beLween aullLa and Allan ls doubLful
lornler also conLended LhaL even lf Allan and 8essle's marrlage was noL blgamous l! was sLlll
llleglLlmaLe because hls parenLs were marrled afLer he was born lornler based hls argumenLs on Lhe
cases of Morano v vlvo Chlongblan v de Leon and Serra v 8epubllc
ln Lhe cases clLed above lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe Lhe lls moLa ln each case lf Lhe pronouncemenL of [us
sangunls was ln Lhe lls moLa lL would consLlLuLe docLrlne courLesy of sLare declsls lf noL lL ls mere
oblLer dlcLum
ln all of Lhe menLloned cases Lhere was no [us sangulnls ln Lhe lls moLa of Lhe cases lf Lhere was [us
sangunls menLloned lL was mere oblLer dlcLum
1he pronouncemenL LhaL an llleglLlmaLe chlld cannoL lnherlL Lhe faLher's clLlzenshlp has no LexLual
basls ln Lhe ConsLlLuLlon and vlolaLes Lhe equal proLecLlon clause
lor [urlsprudence LhaL regarded an llleglLlmaLe chlld Lo lnherlL Lhe moLher's clLlzenshlp lL was Lhere Lo
ensure a llllplno naLlonallLy for Lhe chlld wlLh Lhe assumpLlon LhaL Lhe moLher would galn cusLody
1he 1933 ConsLlLuLlon applles Lo l! slnce he was born durlng LhaL Llme perlod and lL sLaLes LhaL
llllplno clLlzens lnclude Lhose whose faLhers are clLlzens of Lhe hlllpplnes

ueclslon
1 1he evldence does noL esLabllsh concluslvely l!'s clLlzenshlp buL Lhe evldence preponderaLes ln hls
favor Lo hold LhaL he could noL be gullLy of mlsrepresenLaLlon ln hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy lornler v
CCMLLLC ulSMlSSLu for fallure Lo show grave abuse of dlscreLlon on Lhe parL of Lhe CCMLLLC for
dlsmlsslng Lhe orlglnal peLlLlon
2 1ecson v CCMLLLC and velez v oe ulSMlSSLu for wanL of [urlsdlcLlon

SLA8A1L ClnlCn

unC
!urlsdlcLlon
SC ls unanlmous on Lhe lssue of [urlsdlcLlon
1ecson and valdez peLlLlons peLlLloners cannoL lnvoke ArL vll S4 of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon because Lhe
word conLesL" means LhaL Lhe CourL can only be lnvoked afLer Lhe elecLlon and proclamaLlon of a
resldenL or vlce resldenL 1here can be no conLesL" before a wlnner ls proclalmed
lornler peLlLlon as a revlew under 864 ln relaLlon Lo 863 of Lhe 8oC CourL has [urlsdlcLlon
CCMLLLC dld noL commlL grave abuse of dlscreLlon when lL ruled LhaL peLlLloner falled Lo prove by
subsLanLlal evldence LhaL l! dellberaLely mlsrepresenLed LhaL he ls a naLuralborn llllplno clLlzan ln hls
CoC
CerLlorarl power of Lhe SC Lo revlew CCMLLLC declslons ls a llmlLed power
Can only reverse or change Lhe CCMLLLC declslon on Lhe ground LhaL CCMLLLC commlLLed grave
abuse of dlscreLlon (despoLlc arblLrary or caprlclous)
1he rullng of Lhe CCMLLLC denylng Lhe peLlLlon Lo dlsquallfy respondenL oe ls based on subsLanLlal
evldence hence ls noL despoLlc whlmslcal or caprlclous
8omualdezMarcos v CCMLLLC mlsrepresenLaLlon musL noL only be maLerlal buL also dellberaLe and
wlllful
eLlLloner has burden Lo prove evldence Lo show LhaL (1) respondenL made mlsrepresenLaLlon ln hls
CoC (2) LhaL mlsrepresenLaLlon ls maLerlal Lo Lhe poslLlon Lo whlch he ls candldaLe and (3) LhaL maLerlal
mlsrepresenLaLlon was made dellberaLely and wlllfully
Analysls of peLlLloner's evldence
CerLlflcaLe of blrLh only proved Lhe daLe of blrLh of l! noL LhaL he ls noL a naLuralborn clLlzen
Sworn sLaLemenLs of aullLa Comez charglng Allan oe wlLh blgamy and marrlage llcense of beLween
Allan oe and aullLa Comez presenLed Lhru ulr ManapaL pulled ouL because Lhey were fabrlcaLed
8espondenL submlLLed affldavlLs LhaL show LhaL Lhe flles submlLLed by Lhe peLlLloner are fabrlcaLed by
ManapaL's lnsLrucLlons
eLlLloner clalms LhaL Lhe affldavlLs musL noL be consldered because of Lechnlcal grounds
SC ruled LhaL Lhe CCMLLLC ls a quasl[udlclal body and are noL bound by Lhe Lechnlcal rules of
evldence
8lrLh cerLlflcaLe of Allan oe also fabrlcaLed does noL prove anyLhlng besldes blrLh
CerLlflcaLlon of ulr ManapaL LhaL Lhe naLlonal Archlves has no record LhaL Lorenzo ou enLered or
reslded ln Lhe hlllpplnes before 1907 manufacLured
CerLlflcaLlon of LsLrella uomlngo ClC Archlves ulv LhaL Lhe 8eglsLer of 8lrLhs LhaL Lhere ls no
lnformaLlon on Lhe naLlonal Archlves on Lhe blrLh of Allan oe Lo Lhe spouse Lorenzo ou and MarLa
8eyes lack of lnformaLlon ls noL proof
oe from Lhe Llme of hls lnvolunLary blrLh has always conducLed hlmself as llllplno
lor fallure of Lhe peLlLloner Lo dlscharge Lhe burden of proof oe ls enLlLled Lo an ouLrlghL dlsmlssal
of Lhe lornler peLlLlon" oe does noL need Lo presenL conLrary evldence for Lhe burden of proof ls noL
shlfLed Lo hlm
Assumlng LhaL CCMLLLC gravely abused lLs [urlsdlcLlon and Lhe lssue of wheLher respondenL oe ls a
naLuralborn clLlzen llllplno should now be resolved Lhe lornler peLlLlon need noL be remanded Lo Lhe
CCMLLLC for furLher recepLlon of evldence
8emand Lo Lhe CCMLLLC Lo glve Lhe peLlLloner a second opporLunlLy Lo prove hls case ls a palpable
error
ln llghL of Lhese erudlLe oplnlons of our amlcl curae lL ls dayllghL clear LhaL peLlLloner lornler ls noL
only wrlng wlLh hls facLs buL also wrong wlLh hls law
8emand means a new round of llLlgaLlon ln Lhe CCMLLLC when lLs proceedlngs have long been closed
and LermlnaLed Lo glve anoLher chance Lo prove facLs whlch he falled Lo prove before
lavors of remand cannoL be exLended Lo Lhe llLlganL because of pollLlcal neuLrallLy
8emand wlll change Lhe naLure of a Sec 78 proceedlng by [udlclal leglslaLlon hence unconsLlLuLlonal
rlnclpal lssue wheLher respondenL dellberaLely made a maLerlal mlsrepresenLaLlon ln hls CoC when
he wroLe LhaL he ls a naLuralborn llllplno clLlzen
8emandlng Lhe case Lo CCMLLLC wlll change Lhe characLer of a S78 proceedlng (WCn lC! ls a naLural
born llllplno clLlzen wlll be Lhe maln lssue and noL [usL an lssue lncldenLal Lo Lhe lssue of maLerlal
mlsrepresenLaLlon)
SC cannoL engage ln [udlclal leglslaLlon as lL ls someLhlng only leglslaLure can change by anoLher law
8emand wlll vlolaLe respondenL oe's rlghL Lo due process hence unconsLlLuLlonal
lf case were remanded Lo Lhe CCMLLLC Lhe body ls no longer an lmparLlal Lrlbunal ls Lhere are Lhree
of Lhe seven members of Lhe commlsslon LhaL have glven flrm vlew LhaL oe ls noL a naLuralborn
llllplno clLlzen
8emand wlll delay Lhe resoluLlon of Lhe lssue of wheLher respondenL oe ls quallfled uelay wlll also
pre[udlce hls candldacy and wlll favor hls pollLlcal opponenLs
1he rlghL Lo run for publlc offlce lncludes Lhe rlghL Lo equal chance Lo compeLe 1he rlghL Lo run ls
empLy lf Lhe chance Lo wln ls dlmlnlshed of denled a candldaLe
1o avold delay Lhe courL should lLself declde Lhe lssue and declare respondenL oe as a naLuralborn
clLlzen on Lhe basls of Lhe evldence adduced before Lhe CCMLLLC
WheLher respondenL oe ls llleglLlmaLe ls lrrelevanL ln deLermlnlng hls sLaLus as naLuralborn clLlzen
LhaL ls Lhe law
1he law does noL make any dlsLlncLlon ln applylng [us sangulnls Lo llleglLlmaLe chlldren
Morano v vlvo WCn Lhe sLepson was Lo flle Lhe naLural cerebral house
Chlongblan v de Leon a leglLlmaLe son whose faLher became llllplno because of elecLlon Lo a publlc
offlce before Lhe 1933 consLlLuLlon
Serra v 8epubllc an llleglLlmaLe son of a Chlnese faLher and a llllplno moLher
aa v Chan CulnLln clalms LhaL hls faLher ls llllplno because hls grandmoLher ls a llllplna 1he courL
ruled LhaL slnce Lhere ls no proof LhaL hls grandmoLher ls llllplno Lhen hls faLher ls noL llllplno Lhereby
noL maklng hlm llllplno as well 1he courL's rullng should have sLopped here buL Lhe SC followed wlLh an
oblLer dlcLum LhaL even lf CulnLln's faLher were llllplno he would noL be llllplno because he was
llleglLlmaLe
1he sLaLemenLs on Lhe llleglLlmaLe chlld were unnecessary and were [usL oblLer dlcLa and noL raLlo
decldendl Lherefore do noL consLlLuLe sLare declsls
CblLer dlcLa do noL esLabllsh docLrlne even lf repeaLed endlessly
8easons why courL should creaLe new docLrlne
1here ls no LexLual foundaLlon
lL vlolaLes Lhe equal proLecLlon clause
eople v CayaL esLabllshed Lhe docLrlne on consLlLuLlonally allowable dlsLlncLlons Such dlsLlncLlon
musL be germane Lo Lhe purpose of Lhe law
1an Chong v SecreLary of Labor 1he duLy of Lhls CourL ls Lo forsake and abandon any docLrlne or rule
found Lo be ln vlolaLlon of Lhe law ln force"
ubl les non dlsLlngulL ne nos dlsLlnguere debemus especlally lf Lhe dlsLlncLlon has no LexLual
Merlln Magallona Lransmlsslve essence of clLlzenshlp
1o esLabllsh LhaL respondenL oe ls a naLuralborn clLlzen all LhaL ls needed ls proof of hls flllaLlon Lo
hls faLher Allan oe a llllplno clLlzen LhaL ls Lhe crlLlcal facL
llllplno clLlzenshlp of Allan oe respondenL's faLher ls well esLabllshed
1o dlsquallfy respondenL oe because he ls llleglLlmaLe wlll vlolaLe our LreaLy obllgaLlon
ulsposlLlve WheLher respondenL lernando oe !r ls quallfled Lo run for resldenL lnvolves a
consLlLuLlonal lssue buL lLs pollLlcal Lone ls no less domlnanL 1he CourL ls spllL down Lhe mlddle on Lhe
clLlzenshlp of respondenL oe an lssue of flrsL lmpresslon made more dlfflculL by Lhe lnLerplay of
naLlonal and lnLernaLlonal law Clven Lhe lndeclslveness of Lhe voLes of Lhe members of Lhls CourL Lhe
beLLer pollcy approach ls Lo leL Lhe people declde who wlll be Lhe nexL resldenL lor on pollLlcal
quesLlons Lhls CourL may err buL Lhe soverelgn people wlll noL 1o be sure Lhe ConsLlLuLlon dld noL
granL Lo Lhe unelecLed members of Lhls CourL Lhe rlghL Lo elecL ln behalf of Lhe people
ln vlLW WPL8LCl Lhe peLlLlons ln C8 nos 161434 161634 and 161824 are ulSMlSSLu

uAvluL
lAC1S
!anuary 9 2004 lornler flled peLlLlon Lo dlsquallfy l! and Lo cancel hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy for
Lhe May 10 elecLlons because of he ls noL a naLuralborn llllplno clLlzen
!anuary 23 2004 CCMLLLC dlsmlssed Lhe case declarlng LhaL lLs [urlsdlcLlon ls llmlLed Lo all maLLers
relaLlng Lo elecLlon reLurns and quallflcaLlons of all elecLlve reglonal provlnclal and clLy offlclals buL noL
Lhose of naLlonal offlclals llke Lhe presldenL
buL lL has [urlsdlcLlon Lo pass upon Lhe lssue of clLlzenshlp of naLlonal offlclals under sec 78 of CLCon
peLlLlons Lo deny due course or cancel cerLlflcaLes of candldacy on Lhe ground of false maLerlal
represenLaLlon
llndlngs
lornler evldence ls noL subsLanLlal
l! dld noL commlL any falsehood ln maLerlal represenLaLlon when he sLaLed LhaL he ls a naLuralborn
llllplno clLlzen
1ecson and ueslderlo !r prayed speclal clvll acLlon of cerLlorarl under 863 8oC Lo challenge [urlsdlcLlon
of CCMLLLC over Lhe lssue of l!'s clLlzenshlp 1hey clalm LhaL only Lhe Sc has [urlsdlcLlon (ArLvll S4
consLl)
!anuary 29 2004 velez flled peLlLlon wlLh Lhe ff lssues
WheLher CCMLLLC has [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe peLlLlons Lo deny due course or cancel cerLlflcaLed of
candldacy of resldenLlal candldaLes
WheLher SC has [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe peLlLlons of 1ecson velez and lornler
WheLher l! ls a llllplno clLlzen and lf so lf he's a naLuralborn llllplno clLlzen
!urlsdlcLlon
1ecson and velez peLlLlons
1he provlslon ln Lhe consLlLuLlon only refers Lo pasLelecLlon remedles Lhey should have resorLed Lo
preelecLlon remedles ln Lhe CLC whlch are lmplemenLed by Lhe CCMLLLC 8ules of rocedure
reelecLlon remedles are noL wlLhln Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe SC
under Lhe CLC CCMLLLC has orlglnal [urlsdlcLlon Lo deLermlne wheLher a candldaLe for an elecLlve
offlce lnellglble for Lhe offlce for whlch he flled hls cerLlflcaLe of candldacy because of any of Lhe
recognlzed grounds for dlsquallflcaLlon
lornler peLlLlon
SC has [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe case under (ArL lxA S7 ConsLl )
SC can Lake cognlzance of lssue of WCn CCMLLLC commlLLed grave abuse of dlscreLlon amounLlng Lo
lack or excess of [urlsdlcLlon ln Lhe challenged resoluLlon by vlrLue of (ArLvlll S1 ConsLl)
WCn l! ls a naLuralborn llllplno ClLlzen
lacLs
1 l! was born on 20 AugusL 1939 ln Manlla hlllpplnes
2 l! was born Lo Allan oe and 8essle kelley
3 8essle kelley and Allan oe were marrled on 16 SepLember 1940
4 Allan oe was a llllplno because hls faLher Lorenzo oe albelL a Spanlsh sub[ecL was noL shown Lo
have declared hls alleglance Lo Spaln by vlrLue of Lhe 1reaLy of arls and Lhe hlllpplne 8lll of 1902

8aLlo lor Lhe purposes of clLlzenshlp an llleglLlmaLe chlld whose faLher ls llllplno and whose moLher ls
an allen proof of paLernlLy or flllaLlon ls enough for Lhe chlld Lo follow Lhe clLlzenshlp of Lhe faLher
CCMLLLC dld noL commlL any grave abuse of dlscreLlon ln holdlng LhaL l! ls a llllplno clLlzen pursuanL
Lo ArL lv S1 per 3 consLl 1he provlslon dld noL make any dlsLlncLlon beLween leglLlmaLe and llleglLlmaLe
chlldren of llllplno faLhers
eLlLlons are dlsmlssed

SAnuCvALCu1lL88LZ
May courL exerclse [udlclal power Lo dlsquallfy a candldaLe before Lhe elecLlon?
CourL may noL lL wlll wreck Lhe consLlLuLlonal rlghL of Lhe people Lo choose Lhelr candldaLes
8omualdezMarcos v CCMLLLC
Mr !usLlce vlcenLe v Mendoza a reLlred member of Lhls CourL ln hls SeparaLe Cplnlon sald ln my
vlew Lhe lssue ln Lhls case ls wheLher Lhe Commlsslon on LlecLlons has Lhe power Lo dlsquallfy
candldaLes on Lhe ground LhaL Lhey lack ellglblllLy for Lhe offlce Lo whlch Lhey seek Lo be elecLed l Lhlnk
LhaL lL has none and LhaL Lhe quallflcaLlons of candldaLes may be quesLloned only ln Lhe evenL Lhey are
elecLed by flllng a peLlLlon for quo warranLo or an elecLlon proLesL ln Lhe approprlaLe forum"
8ullng of CCMLLLC ls Lhe same as Mandoza oplnlon
ulsquallfylng respondenL oe wlll be vlewed as dlrecLed agalnsL Lhe masses" a slLuaLlon noL allowed
by Lhe ConsLlLuLlon 1he SC may become llke Lhe lranlan Cuardlan Councll1hls CourL as Lhe lasL
guardlan of democracy has Lhe duLy Lo proLecL Lhe rlghL of our naLlon Lo a genulne free and falr
elecLlon

WheLher Lhe CCMLLLC commlLLed grave abuse of dlscreLlon ln dlsmlsslnC lornler's peLlLlon for
dlsquallflcaLlon agalnsL respondenL
Salcedo v CCMLLLC Lhe only lnsLance when a peLlLlon ralslng Lhe quallflcaLlons of a reglsLered
candldaLe ls before elecLlon (S78 CLC)
1o [usLlfy Lhe cancellaLlon of CoC false represenLaLlon menLloned musL perLaln Lo maLerlal maLLer
1here musL be dellberaLe aLLempL Lo mlslead mlslnform or hlde facL whlch would render a candldaLe
lnellglble
lornler peLlLlon broughL under 863 8oC where CCMLLLC acLed wlLh grave abuse of dlscreLlon ln !an
23 and leb 6 resoluLlons holdlng LhaL conslderlng Lhe evldence presenLed by Lhe peLlLloner ls noL
subsLanLlal we declare LhaL Lhe respondenL dld noL commlL any maLerlal mlsrepresenLaLlon when he
sLaLed ln hls CoC LhaL he ls a naLural born llllplno clLlzen"
AllegaLlons ln Lhe CCMLLLC peLlLlon
1 8espondenL oe commlLLed false maLerlal represenLaLlon by sLaLlng ln hls CerLlflcaLe of Candldacy
LhaL he ls a naLural born llllplno clLlzen and
2 Pe knowlngly made such false represenLaLlon
l! ls noL a clLlzen because boLh hls parenLs are allens
ulrecLor ManapaL of Lhe naLlonal Archlves falslfled Lhe marrlage conLracL of l!'s parenLs and hls
faLher's blrLh cerLlflcaLe
Ll lncumblL probaLlon qul declL non que negaL he who asserLs noL he who denles musL prove S1
8131 8roL 8orlongan v Madrldeo burden of proof ls on Lhe parLy asserLlng Lhe afflrmaLlve of an lssue
lornler falled Lo prove allegaLlons wrlL of cerLlorarl can only be granLed lf lL can be proven LhaL
CCMLLLC commlLLed a grave abuse of dlscreLlon
Crave abuse of dlscreLlon caprlclous and whlmslcal exerclse of [udgmenL so paLenL and gross LhaL lL
amounLed Lo an evaslon of poslLlve duLy or Lo a vlrLual refusal Lo perform Lhe duLy en[olned or Lo acL aL
all ln conLemplaLlon of law
We cannoL dlscern from Lhe records any lndlcaLlon LhaL Lhe CCMLLLC gravely abused lLs dlscreLlon ln
dlsmlsslng lornler's peLlLlon lndeed hls avallmenL of Lhe exLraordlnary wrlL of cerLlorarl ls grossly
mlsplaced
WheLher Lhe respondenL commlLLed a maLerlal and false represenLaLlon when he declared ln hls CoC
LhaL he ls a naLuralbron llllplno clLlzen
CCMLLLC held LhaL Lhe l! dld noL commlL any maLerlal mlsrepresenLaLlon ln hls CoC because hls
faLher ls a llllplno by vlrLue of [us sangulnls and under Lhe 1933 consLlLuLlon
valles v CCMLLLC hlllpplne law on clLlzenshlp adheres Lo [us sangulnls
l! ls llllplno clLlzen havlng been born Lo a llllplno faLher
eLlLloners clalm LhaL Allan lernando oe ls a clLlzen of Spaln because hls
Marrlage ConLracL wlLh aullLa Comez shows LhaL hls parenLs are clLlzens of Spaln
1he marrlage cerLlflcaLe was shown Lo have been falslfled
lornler dld noL dlspuLe LhaL Allan lernando oe ls Lhe faLher of l!
Allan's faLher Lorenzo ou ls a Spanlsh sub[ecL and an lnhablLanL of Lhe hlllpplnes on Aprll 11 1899
when Spaln ceded Lhe hlllpplnes (1reaLy of arls hll 8lll 1902 and !ones Law)
ln re 8osque explraLlon of Lhe Lerm of 18 monLhs wlLhouL maklng an express declaraLlon of lnLenLlon
Lo reLaln Lhelr Spanlsh naLlonallLy resulLed ln Lhe loss of Lhe laLLer and Lhereby becomlng sub[ecLs of Lhe
new soverelgn ln Lhe same manner as Lhe naLlves of Lhese lslands
alanca v 8epubllc
A person who was an lnhablLanL of Lhe hlllpplne lslands and a naLurallzed sub[ecL of Spaln on Lhe
11Lh day of Aprll 1899 ls a llllplno clLlzen by vlrLue of Lhe provlslons of Sec 4 of Lhe AcL of Congress on
1 !uly 1902 and of Sec 2 of Lhe AcL of Congress of 29 AugusL 1916 under Lhe ConsLlLuLlon he ls also a
clLlzen of Lhe hlllpplnes because he was such aL Lhe Llme of Lhe adopLlon of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon"
ConsLlLuLlon dld noL speclfy ln referrlng Lo Lhose whose faLhers are llllplno clLlzens as Lo wheLher Lhls
only applles Lo leglLlmaLe chlldren or noL
ubl lex non dlsLlngulL nec nos dlsLlnguere debemus especlally lf Lhe dlsLlncLlon has no LexLual
foundaLlon ln Lhe ConsLlLuLlon serves no sLaLe lnLeresL and even lmposes an ln[usLlce on an lnnocenL
chlld (lr 8ernas)
1o lnLroduce a dlsLlncLlon beLween leglLlmacy or llleglLlmacy ln Lhe sLaLus of Lhe chlld vlsvls Lhe
derlvaLlon of hls clLlzenshlp from Lhe faLher defeaLs Lhe Lransmlsslve essence of clLlzenshlp ln blood
relaLlonshlp (uean Merlln Magalona)
ln flne l relLeraLe LhaL Lhe CCMLLLC dld noL gravely abuse lLs dlscreLlon ln renderlng lLs assalled
8esoluLlons daLed !anuary 23 2004 and lebruary 6 2004
WPL8LlC8L l concur wlLh !usLlce !ose C vlLug ln hls ponencla and wlLh Senlor !usLlce 8eynaLo S uno
ln hls SeparaLe Cplnlon ulSMlSSlnC lornler's peLlLlon

CA8lCMC8ALLS
lssues for 8esoluLlon
1) WheLher Lhls CourL has orlglnal and excluslve [urlsdlcLlon Lo pass upon Lhe quallflcaLlons of
presldenLlal candldaLes
2) WheLher Lhe CCMLLLC acLed wlLh grave abuse of dlscreLlon when lL lssues lLs 8esoluLlons of !an 23
2004 and leb 6 2004 dlsmlsslng Lhe eLlLlon for ulsquallflcaLlon
3) WheLher l! ls a naLuralborn llllplno and Lherefore quallfled Lo seek elecLlon as resldenL

1) !urlsdlcLlon
eLlLlons ln C8 nos 161464 and 161634
eLlLloners 1ecson eL al and velez asserL LhaL Lhls CourL has excluslve orlglnal [urlsdlcLlon Lo deLermlne
wheLher l! ls quallfled Lo be a candldaLe for resldenL paragraph 7 SecLlon 4 of ArLlcle vll of Lhe
ConsLlLuLlon
1he Supreme CourL slLLlng en banc shall be Lhe sole [udge of all conLesLs relaLlng Lo Lhe elecLlon
reLurns and quallflcaLlons of Lhe resldenL or vlceresldenL and may promulgaLe lLs rules for Lhe
purpose
refers Lo Lhls CourL's [urlsdlcLlon over elecLoral conLesLs relaLlng Lo Lhe elecLlon reLurns and
quallflcaLlons of Lhe resldenL and noL Lo Lhe quallflcaLlons or dlsquallflcaLlons of a presldenLlal
candldaLe l! ls sLlll [usL a candldaLe peLlLlon premaLure
eLlLloners 1ecson eL al and velez clalm LhaL Lhe lssue of l!'s quallflcaLlon for Lhe resldency may also
be broughL dlrecLly Lo Lhls CourL on Lhe basls of SecLlon 1 of ArLlcle vlll of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon Lhrough a
peLlLlon for cerLlorarl under 8ule 63 of Lhe 8ules of CourL speclally conslderlng LhaL Lhe lnsLanL case ls
one of LranscendenLal lmporLance
a peLlLlon for cerLlorarl under 8ule 63 of Lhe 8ules of CourL ls noL avallable where Lhere ls anoLher
plaln speedy and adequaLe remedy ln Lhe ordlnary course of lawllke ln Lhls case (Lo lnLervene ln Lhe
eLlLlon for ulsquallflcaLlon)
ln deLermlnlng wheLher procedural rules such as sLandlng should be relaxed on Lhe ground of
LranscendenLal lmporLance" Lhe followlng should be consldered Lhe lack of any oLher parLy wlLh a
more dlrecL and speclflc lnLeresL ln ralslng Lhe quesLlons belng ralsed Conslderlng LhaL Lhe subsLanLlve
lssues ralsed by peLlLloners 1ecson eL al and velez ln C8 nos 161434 and 161634 respecLlvely are
vlrLually ldenLlcal Lo Lhose ralsed by peLlLloner lornler ln C8 no 161824 Lhls CourL ls noL convlnced
LhaL Lhe LranscendenLal lmporLance" of Lhe lssues ralsed hereln [usLlfles a dlrecL resorL Lo Lhls CourL
under 8ule 63 of Lhe 8ules of CourL or Lhe exerclse of lLs expanded cerLlorarl [urlsdlcLlon under Sec 1
ArLlcle vlll of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon
eLlLlon ln C8 no 161824
Lhls CourL deflnlLely has [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe peLlLlon for CerLlorarl quesLlonlng Lhe 8esoluLlons of !an
23 2004 and leb 6 2004 lssued by CCMLLLC SecLlon 7 of ArL lxA of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon vesLs Lhls CourL
wlLh Lhe power of revlew over declslons orders or rullngs of Lhe CCMLLLC
CCMLLLC's !urlsdlcLlon Cver Lhe Sub[ecL MaLLer of Lhe eLlLlon for ulsquallflcaLlon under SecLlon 78 of
Lhe Cmnlbus LlecLlon Code
noL really a consLlLuLlonal quesLlon
2) WheLher 1he CCMLLLC AcLed wlLh Crave Abuse of ulscreLlon ln ulsmlsslng Lhe eLlLlon for ls
quallflcaLlon for Lack of MerlL
Lhe CCMLLLC dld lndeed acL wlLh grave abuse of dlscreLlon ln lssulng Lhem
8y resolvlng Lo dlsmlss Lhe peLlLlon ln Lhe eLlLlon for ulsquallflcaLlon wlLhouL sLaLlng Lhe facLual bases
Lherefore
SecLlon 14 ArLlcle vlll of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon provldes LhaL no declslon shall be rendered by any courL
wlLhouL expresslng Lhereln clearly and dlsLlncLly Lhe facLs and Lhe law on whlch lL ls based"
8y resolvlng Lo dlsmlss Lhe eLlLlon for ulsquallflcaLlon wlLhouL rullng caLegorlcally on Lhe lssue of l!'s
clLlzenshlp
1o [usLlfy lLs evaslon of Lhe duLy Lo rule squarely on Lhe lssue of clLlzenshlp Lhe CCMLLLC relles on Lhls
CourL's rullng ln Salcedo ll v Commlsslon on
LlecLlonshLLp//wwwsupremecourLgovph/[urlsprudence/2004/mar2004/161434_carplomoraleshLm
_fLn96 and held LhaL held LhaL lornler should have presenLed proof of mlsrepresenLaLlon wlLh a
dellberaLe aLLempL Lo mlslead" on Lhe parL of l! conflned Lhe lssue ln Lhe eLlLlon for ulsquallflcaLlon
Lo wheLher l! musL have known or have been aware of Lhe falsehood as allegedly appearlng on hls
cerLlflcaLe"
CarploMorales lL ls lmposslble for Lhe CCMLLLC Lo deLermlne wheLher l! was aware of a false
maLerlal represenLaLlon ln hls CerLlflcaLe of Candldacy wlLhouL flrsL deLermlnlng wheLher such maLerlal
represenLaLlon (ln Lhls case hls clalm of naLuralborn clLlzenshlp) was false 1he facL alone LhaL Lhere ls
a publlc documenL (le hls blrLh cerLlflcaLe) whlch l! mlghL have relled upon ln averrlng naLuralborn
clLlzenshlp does noL auLomaLlcally exclude Lhe posslblllLy LhaL (a) Lhere ls oLher evldence Lo show LhaL
such avermenL ls false and (b) LhaL l! was aware of such evldence
3) WheLher l! ls a naLuralborn llllplno
llve cruclal facLual quesLlons
(1) WheLher Lorenzo ou has been esLabllshed Lo be a llllplno clLlzen aL Lhe Llme of Lhe blrLh of hls son
Allan l oe
Lhe evldence presenLed does noL show LhaL Lorenzo ou acqulred hlllpplne clLlzenshlp by vlrLue of
Lhe 1reaLy of arls or Lhe Crganlc AcLs coverlng Lhe hlllpplne lslands (no evldence as Lo hls resldence
only prlma facle evldence)
(2) WheLher Allan l oe Lhe puLaLlve faLher of l! was a llllplno aL Lhe Llme of Lhe blrLh of Lhe laLLer
Clalm Allan l oe acqulred llllplno clLlzenshlp lndependenLly of hls faLher's by vlrLue of [us soll Allan
l oe havlng been allegedly born ln Lhe hlllpplnes on november 27 1916
even assumlng arguendo LhaL Allan l oe was born ln Lhe hlllpplnes on november 27 1916 such
facL per se would noL sufflce Lo prove LhaL he was a clLlzen of Lhe hlllpplne lslands absenL a showlng
LhaL he was [udlclally declared Lo be a llllplno clLlzen ln 1an Chong v SecreLary of
LaborhLLp//wwwsupremecourLgovph/[urlsprudence/2004/mar2004/161434_carplomoraleshLm
_fLn186 Lhls CourL ruled LhaL Lhe prlnclple [us soll or acqulslLlon of clLlzenshlp by place of blrLh was never
exLended or applled ln Lhe hlllpplne lslands
(3) WheLher l! ls a leglLlmaLe or llleglLlmaLe chlld
l!'s blrLh cerLlflcaLe lndlcaLes LhaL hls parenLs were marrled and LhaL he ls a leglLlmaLe chlld
Powever Lhe Marrlage ConLracL of hls puLaLlve parenLs lernando 8 ou and 8essle kelley ls daLed
SepLember 16 1940 Lhereby lndlcaLlng LhaL he was born ouL of wedlock Slnce ln Lhe Marrlage
ConLracL Lhe Lwo conLracLlng parLles Allan l oe and 8essle kelley parLlclpaLed ln lLs execuLlon Lhe
enLry Lhereln wlLh respecL Lo Lhe daLe of Lhelr marrlage should be glven greaLer welghL Lhan Lhe blrLh
cerLlflcaLe whlch was execuLed by a physlclan who had Lo rely on hearsay as regards l!'s leglLlmacy
l! was born ouL of wedlock and was Lhus an llleglLlmaLe chlld aL blrLh
(4) WheLher Allan l oe has been legally deLermlned Lo be Lhe faLher of l! (Assumlng arguendo LhaL
Allan l oe has been shown Lo have acqulred hlllpplne clLlzenshlp)
As proof of hls flllaLlon l! relles upon (1) Lhe sLlpulaLlon by peLlLloner lornler boLh before Lhe
CCMLLLC and Lhls CourL LhaL Allan l oe ls lndeed Lhe faLher of l! (2) Lhe declaraLlon of 8uby kelley
Mangahas and (3) a cerLlfled copy of an affldavlL of lernando 8 oe" for hlllpplne Army ersonnel
none of Lhe proofs supplled are sufflclenL proofs of flllaLlon under ArLlcle 172 of Lhe lamlly Code
(3) WheLher l! ls a naLuralborn llllplno ClLlzen
CarploMorales adopLs Lhe rule LhaL an llleglLlmaLe chlld of an allenmoLher who clalms Lo be an
offsprlng of a llllplno faLher may be consldered a naLuralborn clLlzen lf he was duly acknowledged by
Lhe laLLer aL blrLh Lhus leavlng Lhe llleglLlmaLe chlld wlLh noLhlng more Lo do Lo acqulre or perfecL hls
clLlzenshlp (noLhlng more Lo do Lo acqulre clLlzenshlp naLural born)
no evldence has been submlLLed Lo show LhaL Allan l oe dld lndeed acknowledge l! as hls own son
aL blrLh
Slnce l! Lhen was born ouL of wedlock and was noL acknowledged by hls faLher Lhe only posslble
llllplno parenL aL Lhe Llme of hls blrLh Lhe lnescapable concluslon ls LhaL he ls noL a naLuralborn
hlllpplne clLlzen
Concluslon WPL8LlC8L l voLe Lo (1) ulSMlSS Lhe peLlLlons ln C8 nos 161434 and 161634 for belng
premaLure (2) uLCLA8L CCMLLLC 8esoluLlons daLed !anuary 23 2004 and lebruary 6 2004 rendered
ln CCMLLLC SA no 04003 nuLL Anu vClu and (3) ul8LC1 Lhe CCMLLLC Lo cancel Lhe CerLlflcaLe of
Candldacy of 8onald Allan kelley oe aka lernando oe !r for conLalnlng a false maLerlal
represenLaLlon

1ecson vs CCMLLLC Gk 16134 March 3 2004
lAC1S eLlLloners quesLloned Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe CCMLLLC ln Laklng cognlzance of and decldlng Lhe
clLlzenshlp lssue affecLlng lernando oe !r 1hey asserLed LhaL under SecLlon 4(7) ArLlcle vll of Lhe 1987
ConsLlLulLlon only Lhe Supreme CourL had orlglnal and excluslve [urlsdlcLlon Lo resolve Lhe baslc lssue of
Lhe case

lSSuL As Lhe resldenLlal LlecLoral 1rlbunal (L1) does Lhe Supreme CourL have [urlsdlcLlon over Lhe
quallflcaLlons of presldenLlal candldaLes?

8uLlnC no An examlnaLlon of Lhe phraseology ln 8ule 12 13 and 8ule 14 of Lhe 8ules of Lhe
resldenLlal LlecLoral 1rlbunal promulgaLed by Lhe Supreme CourL on Aprll 1992 caLegorlcally speak of
Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe Lrlbunal over conLesLs relaLlng Lo Lhe elecLlon reLurns and quallflcaLlons of Lhe
resldenL or vlceresldenL of Lhe hlllpplnes and noL of candldaLes for resldenL or vlce
resldenL A quo warranLo proceedlng ls generally deflned as belng an acLlon agalnsL a person who
usurps lnLrudes lnLo or unlawfully holds or exerclses a publlc offlce ln such conLexL Lhe elecLlon
conLesL can only conLemplaLe a posLelecLlon scenarlo ln 8ule 14 only a reglsLered candldaLe who
would have recelved elLher Lhe second or Lhlrd hlghesL number of voLes could flle an elecLlon proLesL
1hls rule agaln presupposes a posLelecLlon scenarlo
lL ls falr Lo conclude LhaL Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe Supreme CourL deflned by SecLlon 4 paragraph 7 of Lhe
1987 ConsLlLuLlon would noL lnclude cases dlrecLly broughL before lL quesLlonlng Lhe quallflcaLlons of a
candldaLe for Lhe presldency or vlcepresldency before Lhe elecLlons are held


ML8CAuC v MAnZAnC 307 SC8A 630 (1999) C8 no 133083 onenLe Mendoza !
eLlLloner LrnesLo S Mercado 8espondenLs Lduardo 8 Manzano and CCMLLLC
lAC1S 1hls ls a peLlLlon for cerLlorarl seeklng Lo seL aslde Lhe resoluLlon of Lhe CCMLLLC en banc and Lo
declare Manzano dlsquallfled Lo hold Lhe offlce of vlcemayor of MakaLl ClLy lmporLanL deLalls on Ldu
Manzano born SepLember 4 1933 ln San lranclsco Callfornla uSA Lo llllplno parenLs Cn Lhe May 11
1998 elecLlons for vlcemayoralLy of MakaLl ClLy 3 candldaLes compeLed for Lhe posL Lduardo 8
Manzano LrnesLo S Mercado and Cabrlel v uaza lll Manzano won Lhe elecLlons buL hls proclamaLlon
was suspended due Lo a pendlng peLlLlon for dlsquallflcaLlon flled by a cerLaln LrnesLo Mamarll alleglng
LhaL Manzano was an Amerlcan clLlzen Cn May 7 1998 Lhe Second ulvlslon of Lhe CCMLLLC cancelled
Lhe cerLlflcaLe of candldacy of Manzano on Lhe grounds of hls dualclLlzenshlp whlch dlsquallfles hlm
accordlng Lo Sec40(d) of Lhe Local CovernmenL Code Manzano flled a moLlon for reconslderaLlon
Mercado soughL Lo lnLervene ln Lhe case for dlsquallflcaLlon Manzano opposed Lhe moLlon Lo lnLervene
1he moLlon was unresolved 8uL on AugusL 31 1998 Lhe CCMLLLC en banc (wlLh 1 commlssloner
absLalnlng)
reversed Lhe Second ulvlslon's rullng on Lhe cancellaLlon of Lhe cerLlflcaLe of candldacy and dlrecLlng Lhe
proclamaLlon of Manzano as wlnner saylng
- Manzano belng born ln Lhe uSA obLalned uS clLlzenshlp by operaLlon of Lhe uS consLlLuLlon and laws
under prlnclple of [us soll (basls ls place of blrLh) o ?eL by belng born Lo llllplno parenLs Manzano
naLural born llllplno clLlzen by
operaLlon of Lhe 1933 hlllpplne ConsLlLuLlon and laws under prlnclple [us sangulnls
(Lhe rlghL of blood)
r AlLhough he ls reglsLered as an allen wlLh Lhe hlllpplne 8ureau of
lmmlgraLlon and holds and Amerlcan passporL he has noL losL hls llllplno
clLlzenshlp slnce he has noL renounced lL and has noL Laken an oaLh of
alleglance Lo Lhe uSA
- Manzano afLer Lhe age of ma[orlLy reglsLered hlmself as a voLer and voLed ln Lhe 1992
1993 and 1998 hlllpplne elecLlons whlch effecLlvely renounced hls uS clLlzenshlp under
Amerlcan law under hlllpplne law he no longer had uS clLlzenshlp
rlvaLe respondenL Manzano was Lhen proclalmed as vlcemayor of MakaLl ClLy lSSuLS 1WCn
peLlLloner Mercado has personallLy Lo brlng Lhls sulL conslderlng LhaL he was noL an orlglnal parLy ln Lhe
case for dlsquallflcaLlon flled by LrnesLo Mamarll nor was hls moLlon for leave Lo lnLervene granLed
2WCn respondenL Manzano ls a dual clLlzen and lf so WCn he ls dlsquallfled from belng a candldaLe
for vlcemayor ln MakaLl ClLy uLClSlCnS 1 ?es 2no and so no 8LASCnS 1Manzano argues LhaL
Mercado has nelLher legal lnLeresL ln Lhe maLLer of llLlgaLlon nor an lnLeresL Lo
proLecL because he ls a defeaLed candldaLe for Lhe vlcemayoralLy posL of MakaLl ClLy who cannoL
be proclalmed as Lhe vlceMayor of MakaLl ClLy even lf Lhe prlvaLe respondenL be ulLlmaLely
dlsquallfled by flnal and execuLory [udgmenL"
r 1hls assumes LhaL aL Lhe Llme lnLervenLlon was soughL Lhere had already been a
proclamaLlon of Lhe elecLlon resulLs for Lhe vlcemayoralLy elecLlons when ln facL Lhere has
noL been such a proclamaLlon CerLalnly Lhe peLlLloner had and sLlll has an lnLeresL ln
ousLlng prlvaLe respondenL from Lhe race when he soughL Lo lnLervene 1he rule ln Labo v
CCMLLLC only applles when Lhe elecLlon of Lhe respondenL ls conLesLed and Lhe quesLlon ls WCn Lhe
second placer may be declared wlnner lf Mamarll was compeLenL Lo brlng acLlon so was Mercado
belng a rlval candldaLe r eLlLloner has rlghL Lo lnLervene even lf he flled Lhe moLlon on May 20 1998
when lL was shown LhaL Lhe prlvaLe respondenL had Lhe mosL voLes LlecLoral 8eforms Law of 1987
provldes LhaL lnLervenLlon may be allowed ln proceedlngs for dlsquallflcaLlon even afLer elecLlon lf Lhere
has been no flnal [udgmenL rendered lallure of CCMLLLCen banc Lo resolve peLlLloner's moLlon for
lnLervenLlon was LanLamounL Lo denlal of Lhe moLlon [usLlfylng Lhls peLlLlon for cerLlorarl 2lnvoklng Lhe
maxlm dura lex sed lex peLlLloner conLends LhaL Lhrough Sec40(d) of Lhe Local CovernmenL Code
(whlch declares as dlsquallfled from runnlng for elecLlve local poslLlon 1hose
wlLh dualclLlzenshlp") Congress has commanded ln expllclL Lerms Lhe lnellglblllLy of persons
possesslng dual alleglance Lo hold elecLlve offlce"
r uual clLlzenshlp ls dlfferenL from dual alleglance uual clLlzenshlp ls lnvolunLary lL arlses ouL
of clrcumsLances of blrLh or marrlage where a person ls recognlzed Lo be a naLlonal by Lwo
or more sLaLes uual alleglance ls a resulL of a person's vollLlon lL ls a slLuaLlon whereln a
person slmulLaneously owes by some poslLlve acL loyalLy Lo Lwo or more sLaLes uual
clLlzenshlp ls an lssue because a person who has Lhls ralses a quesLlon of whlch sLaLe's law
musL apply Lo hlm/her Lherefore posLlng a LhreaL Lo a counLry's soverelgnLy ln Sec3 ArLlcle
lv of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon on ClLlzenshlp Lhe concern was noL wlLh dual clLlzenshlp per se buL
wlLh naLurallzed clLlzens who malnLaln alleglance Lo Lhelr counLrles of orlgln even afLer
naLurallzaLlon Pence dual clLlzenshlp" ln Lhe aforemenLloned dlsquallflcaLlon clause musL
mean dual alleglance" 1herefore persons wlLh mere dual clLlzenshlp do noL fall under Lhls
dlsquallflcaLlon
r lL should sufflce LhaL upon flllng of cerLlflcaLes for candldacy such persons wlLh dual
clLlzenshlps have elecLed Lhelr hlllpplne clLlzenshlp Lo LermlnaLe Lhelr dual clLlzenshlp ln
prlvaLe respondenL's cerLlflcaLe of candldacy he made Lhese sLaLemenLs under oaLh on
March 27 1998 l am a llllplno clLlzennaLuralborn" l am noL a permanenL resldenL of or
lmmlgranL Lo a forelgn counLry" l am ellglble for Lhe offlce l seek Lo be elecLed l wlll supporL
and defend Lhe ConsLlLuLlon of Lhe hlllpplnes and wlll malnLaln Lrue falLh and alleglance
LhereLo" 1he flllng of such cerLlflcaLe of candldacy sufflced Lo renounce hls
Amerlcan clLlzenshlp effecLlvely removlng any dlsquallflcaLlon he mlghL have as a dualclLlzen ln
lrlvaldo v CCMLLLC lL was held LhaL 8y laws of Lhe unlLed SLaLes lrlvaldo losL hls Amerlcan
clLlzenshlp when he Look hls oaLh of alleglance Lo Lhe hlllpplne CovernmenL when he ran for Covernor
ln 1988 ln 1992 and ln 1993 Lvery cerLlflcaLe of candldacy conLalns an oaLh of alleglance Lo Lhe
hlllpplne CovernmenL" 1herefore peLlLloner Mercado's conLenLlon LhaL Lhe oaLh of alleglance
conLalned ln prlvaLe respondenL's
cerLlflcaLe of candldacy ls lnsufflclenL Lo consLlLuLe hls renunclaLlon of hls Amerlcan
clLlzenshlp Also equally wlLhouL merlL ls hls conLenLlon LhaL Lo be effecLlve such
renunclaLlon should have been made upon reachlng Lhe age of ma[orlLy slnce no law
requlres Lhe elecLlon of hlllpplne clLlzenshlp Lo be made upon ma[orlLy age
r lus Lhe facL LhaL Manzano admlLLed LhaL he was reglsLered as an Amerlcan clLlzen wlLh Lhe hlllpplne
8ureau of lmmlgraLlon and ueporLaLlon and LhaL he holds an Amerlcan passporL whlch he used for hls
lasL Lravel Lo Lhe uS daLed Aprll 22 1997should noL be such a blg deal AL Lhe Llme of sald Lravel Lhe use
of an Amerlcan passporL was slmply an asserLlon of hls Amerlcan naLlonallLy before Lhe LermlnaLlon of
hls Amerlcan clLlzenshlp AdmlLLlng LhaL he was a reglsLered allen does noL mean LhaL he ls noL sLlll a
llllplno (Aznar v CCMLLLC) r Manzano's oaLh of alleglance LogeLher wlLh Lhe facL he has spenL hls llfe
here recelved hls
educaLlon here and pracLlced hls professlon here and has Laken parL ln pasL hlllpplne
elecLlons leaves no doubL of hls elecLlon of hlllpplne clLlzenshlp
WPL8LlC8L peLlLlon for cerLlorarl ulSMlSSLu *lnellglblllLy refers Lo lack of quallflcaLlons prescrlbed