Naturalization of Deserving Aliens by Decree

April 11, 1975

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 270

 

In order that aliens permanently residing in this country who, having developed and demonstrated love for and loyalty to the Philippines and affinity to the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people, as well as contributed to the economic, social and cultural development of our country, may be integrated into the national fabric by the grant of Philippine citizenship, you are hereby directed as follows:

1.  That you shall constitute yourself as a Committee, with the Solicitor General as Chairman, to receive, and consider and submit recommendations on, applications for naturalization by decree from aliens with the following qualifications and none of the following disqualifications:

Qualifications:

a.  He must not be less than 21 years of age on the date of the filing of his petition;

b.  If born in a foreign country, he must have been legally admitted into the Philippines either as an immigrant or a non-immigrant;

c.  He must have had a continuous residence in the Philippines of ten years, which period shall be reduced to five years for applicants with any of the following special qualifications:

1)  Having honorably held office under the Government of the Philippines or under that of any of the provinces, cities, municipalities or political subdivision thereof;

2)  Having established a new industry or introduced a useful invention in the Philippines;

3)  Being married to a Filipino;

4)  Having been engaged as a teacher in the Philippines in a public or recognized private school not established for the exclusive instruction of children of persons of a particular nationality or race, in any of the branches of education or industry for a period of not less than two years;

5)  Having been born in the Philippines.

d.  He must be of good moral character and believes in the principles underlying the Philippine Constitution, and must have conducted himself in a proper and 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;

e.  He must have a known trade, business, profession, or lawful occupation, from which he derives income sufficient for his support and, if he is married or has dependents, also that of his family;

f.  He must be able to speak and write Filipino; or English or Spanish, and any of the principal Philippine languages;

g.  He must have enrolled his minor children of school age in any of the public or private schools recognized by the Department of Education and Culture, where Philippine history, government and civics are taught or prescribed as part of the school curriculum, during the period of residence in the Philippines required of him prior to the filing of his petition hereunder; and

h.  He must have, during the period of his residence in the Philippines, mingled socially with the Filipinos and evinced a sincere desire to learn and embrace the customs, traditions and ideals of the Filipino people.

Disqualifications:

a.  He must not be opposed to organized government or affiliated with any association or group of persons who uphold and teach doctrines opposing all organized governments;

b.  He must not defend or teach the necessity or propriety of violence, personal assault, or assassination for the success and predominance of his ideas;

c.  He must not be a polygamist or a believer in the practice of polygamy;

d.  He must not have been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude;

e.  He is not suffering from mental alienation or any incurable contagious disease.

 Cases of aliens born of Filipino mothers: If, however, the applicant was born of a Filipino mother before the effectivity of the new Constitution and has resided continuously in the Philippines since birth, he shall be considered qualified hereunder without need of any further qualification, provided he does not suffer from the disqualifications above enumerated.

2.  That the application shall be in triplicate, signed and verified by the petitioner himself and accompanied by his photographs and certified true or xerox copies of his certificate of arrival (if any), his Alien Certificate of Registration and his Immigrant Certificate of Residence, and supported by the separate affidavits of two credible witnesses stating that they have personally known the petitioner for the period of time required under par. 1 hereof, that petitioner is a person of good repute and morally irreproachable, and that said petitioner has, in their opinion, all the qualifications necessary to become a citizen of the Philippines and is not in any way disqualified under the provisions of this Decree. cdt

3.  That the application shall be filed with the Committee not later than ____________, 1975.

4.  That on the basis of the data available to the Committee, the Committee shall submit appropriate recommendations to me not later than May 15, 1975 as to who, among the aforesaid applicants, are eligible and qualified for naturalization by decree: however, the names and data pertaining to those aliens previously screened by the Department of National Defense and the NISA and found appropriate for the naturalization by decree shall be forwarded to me without need of prior screening by the Committee; and

5.  You are authorized to promulgate rules and regulations and prescribe appropriate forms and the required fees for the effective and expeditious implementation of these instructions.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 11th day of April, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Five.