4/9/2020 E-Library - Information At Your Fingertips: Printer Friendly natural-born citizen is one who is a citizen of the country at the time of birth. He also explained that the Bill will, in effect, return to a Filipino citizen who has acquired foreign citizenship, the status of being a natural-born citizen effective at the time he lost his Filipino citizenship. As a rejoinder, Rep. Javier opined that doing so would be discriminating against naturalized Filipino citizens and Filipino citizens by election who are all disqualified to run for certain public offices. He then suggested that the Bill be amended by not considering as natural-born citizens those Filipinos who had renounced their Filipino citizenship and acquired foreign citizenship. He said that they should be considered as repatriated citizens. In reply, Rep. Libanan assured Rep. Javier that the Committee will take note of the latter’s comments on the matter. He however stressed that after a lengthy deliberation on the subject, the Committees on Justice, and Foreign Affairs had decided to revert back to the status of being natural- born citizens those natural-born Filipino citizens who had acquired foreign citizenship but now wished to reacquire their Filipino citizenship. Rep. Javier then explained that a Filipina who loses her Filipino citizenship by virtue of her marriage to a foreigner can regain her repatriated Filipino citizenship, upon the death of her husband, by simply taking her oath before the Department of Justice (DOJ). Rep. Javier said that he does not oppose the Bill but only wants to be fair to other Filipino citizens who are not considered natural-born. He reiterated that natural-born Filipino citizens who had renounced their citizenship by pledging allegiance to another sovereignty should not be allowed to revert back to their status of being natural-born citizens once they decide to regain their Filipino citizenship. He underscored that this will in a way allow such Filipinos to enjoy dual citizenship. On whether the Sponsors will agree to an amendment incorporating the position of Rep. Javier, Rep. Libanan stated that this will defeat the purpose of the Bill. Rep. Javier disagreed therewith, adding that natural-born Filipino citizens who acquired foreign citizenships and later decided to regain their Filipino citizenship, will be considered as repatriated citizens. Rep. Libanan cited the case of Bengzon vs. HRET wherein the Supreme Court had ruled that only naturalized Filipino citizens are not considered as natural-born citizens. In reaction, Rep. Javier clarified that only citizens by election or those whose mothers are Filipino citizens under the 1935 Constitution and who elected Filipino citizenship upon reaching the age of maturity, are not deemed as natural-born citizens. elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocsfriendly/1/55170 12/18