Gibo’s citizenships

There are valid concerns surrounding the discovery of Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro’s Maltese passport, one of which was his failure to disclose it.

An international law expert said that, at the very least, moral clarity was lacking in his failure to disclose his possession of a so-called “golden passport” and citizenship in the country of Malta, which is notorious for money laundering operations.

Malta has a “passport and citizenship” for sale scheme, which the European Union and the European Council for Justice have been calling on its member countries to reconsider.

The Maltese citizenship controversy erupted following the revelation that Teodoro had a Maltese passport since 2016 and that it is effective until next year.

The Department of National Defense (DND) said Teodoro surrendered the passport before he ran for senator in 2022. Still, critics said the Defense chief had been silent about it until it was exposed in the media. And he still hasn’t addressed the issue.

Retired Brig. Gen. Orlando E. de Leon, a member of PMA Class of 1982 and former Deputy Commander of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), said Teodoro has shown an unfitness to head a very sensitive post as Secretary of Defense after his loyalty and credibility have been put into question.

The international law expert believes that Teodoro’s surrender of his Maltese passport, as he claimed, does not mean that he had renounced his Maltese citizenship.

“A passport is just a travel document that may prove citizenship. Citizenship is acquired through an oath of allegiance. Surrendering a passport is not renunciation,” the source said.

The Constitution and the Administrative Code are clear: public officials, particularly those in national security roles, must be natural-born citizens and must not owe allegiance to any foreign power. Critics argue that Teodoro’s case violates both the letter and the spirit of the law.

If barangay officials can be disqualified for dual citizenship, what more the Secretary of National Defense who is the government’s point person in protecting the country.