Taguig court orders BI to release Joseph Sy, upholds Filipino citizenship

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has been ordered by the Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) to release mining executive Joseph Sy from custody after affirming his status as a Filipino citizen.

Sy’s counsel, Carla Santamaria-Seña and Dennis Manalo, said Saturday that the BI must comply with the court’s directive.

Sy, chairman of Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. (FNI), was previously detained on suspicion of holding Chinese citizenship after his fingerprints allegedly matched those of Chinese national Chen Zhong Zhen, who was also issued an Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card (ACR I-Card) identifying him as a Chinese citizen.

The case was likened to that of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, who was found to be Chinese national Guo Hua Ping.

In a statement, Sy’s legal team said the Taguig RTC granted the habeas corpus petition for his release, ruling that the BI has no jurisdiction to detain a Filipino.

“The court found that Mr. Sy’s Filipino citizenship has been upheld in prior proceedings by several government offices, including the BI, the Office of the President, the Department of Justice, and the Supreme Court,” the lawyers said. “He was never shown to have lost his Filipino citizenship.”

The RTC also ruled that Sy’s birth certificate and Philippine passports hold superior evidentiary weight compared to the BI’s ACR I-Card, which is not considered a public document and cannot override primary proof of citizenship.

The court noted that the BI’s reliance on a bare biometrics certification—unsupported by fingerprint records or credible corroboration—was “gravely inadequate.” Consequently, the court declared the BI’s proceedings against Sy illegal and ordered his immediate release.

Sy’s camp described the ruling as not only a personal vindication but also a strong reminder that Filipino citizenship cannot be stripped away through speculation, recycled cases, or administrative overreach.