With Grace Poe’s presidential bid, Neil Llamanzares’ citizenship placed under scrutiny

Little is known about the husband of presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe even after she served in government for six years.

Teodoro Misael Daniel Vera Llamanzares or simply Neil Llamanzares has even declined GMA News’ request for an interview.

But a report by Mariz Umali on GMA-7’s “24 Oras” on Tuesday pieced together some tidbits about the senator's husband.

Llamanzares was born to Filipino parents in the United States in 1970. He lived, studied, and worked in the US almost his entire life.

Months before the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) in October, issues about his citizenship surfaced.

During the last State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno Aquino III in June 2015, Poe walked the red carpet with her husband and their two children Brian and Hannah.

The media took the chance to ask him: Are you ready to renounce your US citizenship if your wife decides to run for president?

“Whenever she's ready, we will be ready,” he replied.

As an American citizen, Llamanzares worked in the US Air Force from 1988 to 1992.

The couple lived in a US Air Force base in Washington DC after getting married in 1991.

“Hindi ko alam ba't issue iyan. Unang-una, ang asawa ko, natural born Filipino citizen,” Poe said recently.

Llamanzares finally took the oath of renunciation on April 17 before a barangay chairman in Greenhills, San Juan—six months after his wife filed her COC for president.

Poe and Llamanzares' citizenships have been always the biggest target of Poe’s critics.

“Filipino siya dahil Filipino ang kanyang mga magulang. Doon siya ipinanganak sa Amerika, pero ang aking asawa ay dual citizen,” she said on Super Radyo DZBB’s “Ikaw Na Ba Presidential Interview” on January 24.

Neil’s SMC connection

Llamanzares managed Poe's campaign funds and contributions in  2013.

According to Poe’s 2013 Statement Of Contributions And Expenditures (SOCE), some of her biggest contributors included Thomas A. Tan of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) who pitched in P10 million; and John Paul L. Ang of Eagle Cement Corporation, P10 million.

Llamanzares used to work as a consultant for San Miguel Corporation from 2006 to August 2015. He is also a stockholder of SMC.

Llamanzares' parents are also shareholders of the San Miguel Brewery, which is a subsidiary of SMC.

SMC lends helicopters to Poe during her campaign. —NB, GMA News