SC allows US citizen lawyer who re-acquires Pinoy citizenship to practice law in PHL again

The Supreme Court has allowed a Filipino lawyer – who became a US citizen for more than two decades – to practice law in the Philippines again after he re-acquired his Filipino citizenship in 2006. In a unanimous vote contained in a six-page resolution penned by Justice Bienvenido Reyes, the high court approved a petition filed by Epifanio Muneses and reinstated him to the Philippine Bar after meeting the requirements set by the Office of the Bar Confidante (OBC) for him to practice law anew in the Philippines. “The Court sees no bar to the petitioner’s resumption to the practice of law in the Philippines,” the court said. Muneses was stripped off his privilege to practice law in the country when he became an American citizen in 1981. In 2006, however, or 25 years after he became US citizen, Muneses re-acquired his Filipino citizenship through Republic Act 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Re-Acquisition Act of 2003. The high court stressed that being a Filipino citizen was a "continuing requirement" for law practice in the Philippines, and the loss of it automatically means the termination of that privilege. “[But] a Filipino lawyer who becomes a citizen of another country but later re-acquires his Philippine citizenship under RA 9225 remains to be a member of the Philippine Bar,” the court added. The high court however stressed that re-acquisition of the privilege to practice law in the Philippines is not "automatic" and the person must first apply with proper authorities for a new license or permit. Among the requirements that Muneses submitted to the high court were: