Fil-Ams in Texas want to reacquire Filipino citizenship

More than 50 Filipino-Americans in the lower Rio Grande Valley in South Texas have enlisted with Koalisyon Balik Pinoy(KBP) to lobby with the Philippine Consulate based in Los Angeles, California to hold an information campaign to encourage more Filipinos who are US citizens to reacquire their Filipino citizenships and to send personnel to process their applications in the City of McAllen. Alan Castillon, KBP coordinator in the Edinburg and McAllen area, said the group is reaching out to other areas in the Valley to muster enough number of interested Fil-Ams to attend a forum where different concerns related to Republic Act 9225, also known as the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act, will be answered. “It’s time to bring our government closer to the people in the Valley. There are many of us who wanted to go to Houston to be become dual citizens last February 3, 2007 but the information came too late and schedules were too hectic. We hope the people in the Consulate in LA will come to the Valley to process our applications and administer our oath of allegiance as Filipinos", Castillon said. “It is an undeniable fact that we are the fastest growing and well-educated ethnic group in this part of the globe and most of us wanted to participate in making the Philippines a better place to live in", he added. “So it is high time that our government shows its concern to people like us. After all, economic migrants are the ones keeping the Philippine economy going." Castillon used to work in a big mining company based in the Visayas before joining his wife, Melinda Ymbong Castillon, a nurse in Texas, in the 90’s. He had sworn in as a citizen of United States in 2001. Augustus “Toton" Seno, another KBP prime mover who became a US citizen in April 2006, expressed optimism that hundreds will sign up once application forms are ready to be distributed. “It’s just a matter of starting it up and making definite schedules because almost everyone is busy working just to be able to send money to the Philippines,"Seno said. One of the acknowledged pioneers in the Valley, businessman Carlo Capili is also excited about the move and is already convincing Filipinos within his area of influence to avail of the opportunity. Capili is one of the organizers of the first organization of Filipinos in the Rio Grande Valley. KBP-RGV plans to ask Capili to make his Filipino store one of the coordinating centers in Edinburg. Padini Santiago also pledged his support to the group and promised to devote a space in his website, PINOYRGV.com, so those interested will have updated information of the group’s activity. In order to obtain the dual citizenship, applicants need to present a number of documents to the consulate such as Philippine birth certificate, an old Philippine passport or marriage of contract indicating the applicant’s citizenship and voter’s affidavit or identification card. Similar documents showing that the applicant is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines can also be presented granted the evaluating officer deems the documents acceptable. Additional requirements include photocopies of a certificate of naturalization and a valid foreign passport, two 2" x 2" identification photographs and a processing fee of $50. For the children listed as beneficiaries, the applicant needs to provide a birth certificate, a foreign passport and a processing of $25. After the approval, participants then take an oath of allegiance. For more information, those interested can contact: Alan Castillon – (956) 3693418 Toton Seno - (956) 2401372 or (956) 4671904 Soy Mercado - (956) 8782836 or (956) 6270572 Email: smpowerresource@yahoo.com