Immigration bureau: 30,000 former Pinoys became dual citizens in 2012

At least 30,000 former FIlipinos reacquired their Philippine citizenship and became dual citizens in 2012, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday. BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said the BI processed 30,362 applications for dual citizenship under R.A. 9225, the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003. Under R.A. 9225, natural-born Filipinos who became naturalized citizens in other countries are deemed not to have lost their citizenship by taking the oath of allegiance to the Philippines. In a news release, David said 5,564 filed their petitions at the BI main office in Manila while the rest applied at Philippine consulates abroad. There were more applicants last year compared to 2011 when only 19,328 petitions were processed, of which 15,657 originated from the Philippine consulates, he added. David urged former Filipinos who wished to enjoy again their rights and privileges as Philippine citizens to avail of the benefits of the said law. For his part, BI task force on RA 9225 head and legal officer Marc Anthony Antonio said natural-born Filipinos who lost their Philippine citizenship can avail of the law. Dual citizenship law Antonio added the number of those who applied at Philippine consulates could be much higher as BI statistics only refer to those who applied for their identification certificates at the bureau. He estimated that since R.A. 9225 was implemented in 2004, at least 150,000 former Filipinos worldwide may have already availed of the law. Antonio said Americans topped the list of the applicants, followed by Britons and Canadians. Most of the petitions were filed at Philippine consulates in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu, Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, and London. Antonio said an applicant pays only a fee of P3,000 and the petition is immediately processed if all documentary requirements submitted are complete. - VVP, GMA News