Becoming Filipino
If a foreigner seeks to become a Filipino, we should expect that person not only to know our history, but to understand and embrace our country’s interests and constitutional values.
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If a foreigner seeks to become a Filipino, we should expect that person not only to know our history, but to understand and embrace our country’s interests and constitutional values.
What does it really take to become a Filipino?
For a foreigner who wishes to become a citizen and make the Philippines his home, our Constitution and laws provide legal pathways to naturalization. But naturalization should mean more than completing an application form. It should represent a genuine decision to belong to, and be loyal to, the Filipino nation.
Our legal framework recognizes two main routes to naturalization. The first is judicial naturalization under Commonwealth Act 473, or the Revised Naturalization Law, where an applicant must establish, among other things, the required period of residence, good moral character, sufficient livelihood, knowledge of Philippine history and government, and adherence to the fundamental principles of the Constitution. The applicant must also demonstrate a genuine willingness to understand, respect, and embrace Filipino customs, traditions, and national ideals.
The second is administrative naturalization under Republic Act 9139, which applies to a specific class of qualified aliens — those born and continuously residing in the Philippines since birth and who meet requirements relating to character, education, livelihood, language, and integration into Philippine society.
These requirements matter because citizenship is not merely a document. It is an expression of allegiance. And perhaps we should ask: What does allegiance really mean?
If a foreigner seeks to become a Filipino, we should expect that person not only to know our history, but to understand and embrace our country’s interests and constitutional values. Not merely to pass an examination, but to genuinely understand what it means to stand with the Philippines.
This becomes particularly important when we speak of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.
When someone seeking Philippine citizenship is asked about the West Philippine Sea, recognizing the Philippines’ sovereign rights and maritime entitlements under international law should be the bare minimum. It should not be an answer memorized for an interview or naturalization proceeding, but a conviction sincerely held.
To be clear, this is not about imposing a political test for citizenship. It is about understanding and accepting the Philippines’ rights under international law and our Constitution.
The 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award affirmed the Philippines’ maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Our assertion of our rights in the West Philippine Sea is therefore not simply a matter of national pride. It is anchored in law.
If someone wishes to become Filipino, that person should understand that our sovereign rights and maritime entitlements are not something we casually surrender.
Recognizing the Philippines’ sovereign rights and maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea should be the starting point — not the end — of what it means to become Filipino. Because becoming Filipino should mean more than acquiring a Philippine passport or the privileges that come with citizenship. It should mean acquiring a stake in the destiny of the Filipino people.
Citizenship is not simply a privilege granted by the State. It is a commitment to the nation.
And those who seek to become Filipino should be prepared to make and demonstrate that commitment, not only on paper, but more so in their hearts.
