Charles Teves
Sagip Party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta has shown his hypocrisy for questioning ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III’s citizenship when in fact his legislative record suggests he was the sole author of House Bill No. 03737 which was introduced in September 2016 during the 17th Congress that would have allowed Filipinos with dual citizenship to run for public office without needing to renounce foreign citizenship.
The bill never went past the House Justice committee but was made as a response to a requirement under Republic Act No. 9225, or the Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003, that requires renunciation of foreign citizenship as a requirement upon the filing of a certificate of candidacy.
“The conditions set forth in the said paragraphs are surplusage because once a person files the certificate of candidacy, the candidates declare their Filipino citizenship and their support to the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines,” Marcoleta said in his explanatory note.
The Department of Justice backed Lopez’s claim that he is a Filipino citizen during Wednesday’s hearing. There is no reason for Lopez to renounce his American citizenship since he never ran for public office.
Marcoleta authored HB03737 introduced in September 2016 which would have done away with a reqt under RA 9225 for Filipinos with dual citizenship to renounce foreign citizenship as a requirement upon the filing of a certificate of candidacy. But it did not prosper. pic.twitter.com/FdaHxnnsoY
— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) June 3, 2020
Lopez was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Filipino parents during the time when the 1935 Constitution was still in effect which automatically qualifies him as a natural-born Filipino and an American citizen, or a dual citizen of both countries.
Marcoleta questioned whether a dual citizen can own a mass media company in the Philippines.
“Ang pagmamay-ari at pamamahala ng mass media companies ay limitado lang sa mga Pilipino. Walang problema doon kung siya lang ay Pilipino, hindi Amerikano,” Marcoleta said during the hearing on Wednesday.
To make Lopez prove his allegiance to the Philippines, Marcoleta asked him to recite the first line of the Panatang Makabayan.
“Ganito na lamang po para matapos tayo sa issue ng allegiance…Mawalang-galang na po, Mr Lopez, puwede ba naming hilingin sa inyo na i-recite ninyo ‘yong unang linya ng Panatang Makabayan?” said Marcoleta during Monday’s hearing.
Marcoleta also tried to make Lopez’s birth certificate an issue saying that the latter didn’t have it when petitioned for the recognition of his Filipino citizenship in 2000.
“Kung ako po kasi ang commissioner ng immigration no’ng kayo ay nag-apply, una ko pong kukunin sa inyo ay birth certificate ninyo. Wala pong katumbas na halaga ‘yon, Mr Lopez (If I were the commissioner of immigration when you had applied, the first time I would have asked for is your birth certificate. That’s invaluable, Mr Lopez). A birth certificate is conclusive upon all your claims to citizenship,” Marcoleta said.
But the simple fact is that Lopez applied for the recognition, a procedure to affirm citizenship to those without a Filipino birth certificate.
“Tungkol po doon sa birth certificate na hindi ho naisubmit sa application for recognition ni Mr. Lopez, ang rason po niyan ay ang recognition ay procedure para ho doon sa mga walang birth certificate,” said Lopez’s lawyer Miguel Damaso.
“Dahil kung mayroong birth certificate ho si Mr Lopez, hindi na ho kakailanganin ang recognition at ‘yon lang ho ang isa-submit niya sa [Department of] Foreign Affairs at mabibigyan na ho siya ng passport,” he added.
Marcoleta also chided ABS-CBN reporter Mike Navallo for allegedly spreading false information about him filing House Bill No. 03737 and a measure seeking to grant franchises to companies that had secured their first franchises more than 50 years ago.
“‘Yong ginawa po no’ng reporter na ‘yon na banatan po ako sa kabila ng pagsang-ayon na ‘yan [na] kami ay mag-zu-Zoom kinabukasan, hindi po ugaling Pilipino ‘yon,” he said.
However, Marcoleta’s authorship of the said bill can be seen in publicly available information on the website of Congress.
Marcoleta voted for HB 78 amending Public Service Act w/c allows 100% foreign ownership in telecoms, public services. HB 78 limits public utilities to distribn and transmission of electricity, water pipeline distribn, sewerage pipeline subject to 60-40 ownership reqt. pic.twitter.com/kE3ZCTPiE5
— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) June 3, 2020
In addition, Marcoleta voted in favor of House Bill 78 amending the Public Service Act which would allow 100% foreign ownership in telecoms and other public services.
House Bill 78 limits the definition of public utilities to distribution of electricity, transmission of electricity, water pipeline distribution, and sewerage pipeline meaning that all other public services are not subject to 60% to 40% Filipino-foreigner ownership ratio.
Several bills seeking to grant ABS-CBN a new 25-year franchise have been pending at the House of Representatives since 2014.
