Analysis:
Overseas Filipinos score another victory with Dual
Citizenship Law
After years of wait, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
signed into law the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition
Act of 2003 on August 30.
The said law gives a chance for Filipino citizens abroad
who have become citizens of receiving countries to
retain their Filipino citizenship and enjoy the rights
such a citizenship entails.
“
The measure will allow natural-born citizens of the
Philippines, upon subscribing to an oath of allegiance
to the Republic,
to retain or re-acquire their Philippine citizenship concurrently
with other citizenship,” Senate President Franklin
Drilon said.
The Arroyo government expressed its hope that through the
said law, Filipinos who are citizens in other countries
will
be encouraged to return home and invest in the country.
Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Communities Heherson
T. Alvarez said the dual citizenship law could be a potent
source of investments-the 2.5 million Filipinos in the
United States have a combined income of 175 billion dollars
or nearly double the 100 million dollars combined income
of 82 million Filipinos.
However, critics question the legality and constitutionality
of the law. They said also that it will weaken loyalty
of Filipinos to the Philippines.
Still, it cannot be denied that dual citizenship is a right
demanded by Filipinos abroad. The law, in conjunction with
the Absentee Voting Law, signed in February this year,
can become a tool also for Filipinos abroad to struggle
for change in the Philippines.
Absentee Voting and the Dual Citizenship Law
The Absentee Voting Law allows for Filipinos who are citizens
of other countries to votes. However, there is a prohibitive
condition that effectively discourages Filipino permanent
residents of other countries from availing of their right
to vote.
This is the condition of taking up residency in
the Philippines three years after his/her participation
in the elections.
Groups concerned with the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV),
especially in countries such as the United States, Canada
and Australia, have reported many Filipinos who are interested
to register as absentee voters but are very reluctant to
come back to the Philippines.
This hesitation comes from
the very basic question: What will they do when they come
back? In the first place, many of these 3 million Filipino
permanent residents of other countries left the country
due to limited opportunities for them and their families.
With the advent of the Dual Citizenship Law, these overseas
Filipinos can, without fear of persecution, become active
participants in the electoral struggle in the Philippines.
Conclusion
As how Migrante International, the global alliance of migrant
Filipinos, puts it, it is not enough to laud Filipinos
abroad for their economic contribution to the country.
Their political rights must be recognized as well. It is
sheer hypocrisy to do otherwise. Majority of Filipinos
who opt to go abroad are those who have been displaced
of their economic capacity to survive due to various government
policies and programs that deprive them of a decent livelihood.
Their “loyalty” to the Philippines cannot
be questioned as evidenced by their active participation
throughout
the history of the nationalist movement in the country.
The challenge for us is to put this gain to an ever greater
victory of achieving fundamental changes in our society.
We must not let ourselves be further exploited by the government.
For sure they will try and we must be ever vigilant and
militant in protecting our rights.
Migrante - International
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