Would you give up your Filipino citizenship?

Davidx23 · January 2013

Hello sa lahat. Congrats nga pala sa mga naging citizen nung Australia Day 26/1/2013. Si TotoyOZresident, I think citizen na, congrats pre.

So last saturday, nakuha ko na yung citizenship certificate. Mixed feelings kasi after 5 years nakuha ko na rin yung citizenship. My wife was not able to attend the ceremony at the brisbane convention centre kasi na-stranded sa Rockhampton gawa ng ulan, kaya dissapointed, hintay ulit para sa next batch ng oath taking. Ngayon, ang dilema, should I renounce, take dual citizenship, what do you think?

Thanks.

nylram_1981 · January 2013

na-discuss ito sa cfo seminar. wala naman akong makitang disadvantage if magigi kang dual citizen. more of advantage pa nga kasi you can still invest here sa pinas.

ako i plan to have dual citizenship when that come arrives kasi meron akong mga maiiwang investment dito sa pinas pag alis namin (stock market, equity funds, etc). bka mamaya magka-problema pa ako sa pag-claim later on pag di na ako filipino citizen.

Davidx23 · January 2013

Kung sa bagay may hinihintay din akong maturity pero 9 yrs to wait pa. Pero malalaman ba nila na hindi ka na pinoy lalo na kung valid naman yung birth certificate mu or ipakita mu yung SSS id mu. Hindi kasi ako nag CFO seminar, hindi pa uso ito nung nag PR ako. Pero, ok na suggestion yan, investment at iwas aberya.

Thanks nylram_1981.

lock_code2004 · January 2013

wala din naman po yatang masyadong hassle pag-apply ng dual citizenship sa Phil Embassy-AU.. Simple lang din ang requirements..Old passport, BC, Copy Cert of Citizenship.. 90Aud..

so give it a try... tapos balitaan nyo kmi sir!..

Davidx23 · January 2013

@lock_code2004
Kaya ka ba mag-aapply sa embassy dahil automatic renounce na yung fil citizenship mu? 90AUD, lahat na lang pagkakakitaan.

Thanks, I will think about it.

nylram_1981 · January 2013

@Davidx23 makikita nila kung OZ passport na pi-present mo..hehe pero other than that wala naman silang way para malaman.

as discuss din dun sa cfo, if u plan to buy real estate here sa pinas (lote or condo) better keep ur filipino citizenship. foreigners are not allowed to own real estate dito sa pinas.

tama si @lockcode parang hassle free naman ang pag apply sa dual citizenship. ganyan din ung diniscuss sa cfo parang simply go the nearest phil embassy lng with the requirements & fee tapos i-issuehan ka na ulit nila ng phil passport. hehe

lock_code2004 · January 2013

@Davidx23 - yup, ganun din ang pagka-intindi ko.. automatic renounce once you acquire another citizenship...

http://www.philembassy.org.au/dual-citizenship/19-requirements.html

lock_code2004 · January 2013

napabasa tuloy ako... hehe..

here are some interesting facts about Republic Act No. 9225: Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003

if you re-acquired your Philippine Citizenship (dual citizenship)
- you will be able to vote
- you can run for gov't office
- you can be appointed to a govt office
- you can acquire land, properties and business/es
- you can re-enter, reside or retire permanently in the Phils
- you only need to pay tax/es for incomes earned in the Phils
- as long as you reside permanently overseas, you & dependents are exempted from travel travel tax (just like OFWs)

Davidx23 · January 2013

Salamat sa summary lock_code2004. While magandang mag-retire sa pinas kasi mura, ang problema yung medical facilities, wala akong tiwala. At least you can re-acquire dual citizenship anytime, walang time limit.

Ang problema lang siguro pag dual eh pag ginera tayo ng tsina dahil sa spratly tapos nagbabakasyon ako sa pinas, auto enlist ako nun kasi nag rotc pa naman ako. Hehe.

Metaform · January 2013

Ano ang mangyayari sa real estate properties ng mga nag-decide na Hindi mag-dual citizenship?

TotoyOZresident · January 2013

Hello sa lahat. Congrats nga pala sa mga naging citizen nung Australia Day 26/1/2013. Si TotoyOZresident, I think citizen na, congrats pre.

So last saturday, nakuha ko na yung citizenship certificate. Mixed feelings kasi after 5 years nakuha ko na rin yung citizenship. My wife was not able to attend the ceremony at the brisbane convention centre kasi na-stranded sa Rockhampton gawa ng ulan, kaya dissapointed, hintay ulit para sa next batch ng oath taking. Ngayon, ang dilema, should I renounce, take dual citizenship, what do you think?

Thanks.

Hi wala pa ako letter for my schedule of citizenship ceremony. Malamang baka on March 2013 "Canberra day centenial (100 years)" Once you attend Citizenship ceremony yun ang first day ng pagka Australian citizen mo.

Mag dual citizen din ako allowed naman sa batas ng Australia at wala naman babayaran ng tax sa Pinas unless kung may properties.

Its your personal choice.

Congrats...

cheers..

Davidx23 · January 2013

@TotoyOZresident
I see, October ka pala nag-apply. Kami nung June kami nag-apply tapos July kami nag-exam, then October namin natanggap yung approval. Hassle lang at maghihintay ulit kami para i-resched yung oath taking ng wife ko sa next available batch.

Wala naman kaming real-estate sa pinas, unless thru inheritance or whatnot. We'll cross the bridge when we get there na lang muna...

Salamat sa lahat sa mga inputs.

nylram_1981 · January 2013

Ano ang mangyayari sa real estate properties ng mga nag-decide na Hindi mag-dual citizenship?

wala naman cguro. para lang ito sa mga mag-iinvest pa lng.

TasBurrfoot · February 2013

How does it go ba after you acquire Australian Citizenship - how do you lose you Filipino Citizenship?. Meron bang renouncing?

If wala kasi then technically, dual citizen ka immediately noh? Then when your passport expires, you just renew it as per normal.

I know I may be missing something here please bear with me and educate me...

TA!

Bigfoot · February 2013

Hi guys,

This is for additional information for our fellow pinoys who are thinking of renouncing their citizenship in favor of a new one.

Kindly note that former Pinoys who have acquired new citizenship are entitled to own land in the Philippines subject to a few restrictions. For a brief summary, refer to the link below:
http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/useful-information/land-ownership/

Cheers!

Davidx23 · February 2013

@psychoboy
Opinion lang: I think it's more of the oath or plege of loyalty. Once you make that pledge to an appointed official of the government, you are committing yourself to the laws and practices of Australia. This pledge automatically renounce your original citizenship. Plus, wala namang batas na nagbabawal ng dual citizenship pero kailangan formalised. Kaya may procedures ang dual citizenship sa phil embassy. If not, you are probably committing some sort of false identity pag nag-apply ka ng phil passport without going through the dual citizenship procedure.

LokiJr · February 2013

Sir why are you thinking about renouncing your citizenship?

I think the best consideration to the matter is that having dual citizenship gives you options in the future...For all we know, Philippines might become the next Singapore; while Australia slips back to oblivion (I certainly hope not)...best of both worlds, now and in the future ika nga

TasBurrfoot · February 2013

Sir why are you thinking about renouncing your citizenship?

I think the best consideration to the matter is that having dual citizenship gives you options in the future...For all we know, Philippines might become the next Singapore; while Australia slips back to oblivion (I certainly hope not)...best of both worlds, now and in the future ika nga

@LokiJr - Philippines to become the next Singapore will never happen...

ahahaha!! to become more developed than the current state is a possibility though.

Sorry OT!!

LokiJr · February 2013

@psychoboy that's what we thought about China 20 years ago too...pero hindi na natin paabutin sa debate ito hehe....There are so many things to hate about our country, but we're performing very well in the past few years...if we outperform our peers consistently in....two decades or so...darating din tayo sa level ng Singapore. Just being hopeful hehe..

Conversely can be said about Australia...it's one of the best performing developed country, but as Treasurer Wayne Swan admitted, Australia is not recession-proof...

So to get back to the topic...dual is cool. May option ka kung saan magreretire, at mabibigyan mo rin ng option ang mga anak mo. hehe

TasBurrfoot · February 2013

@psychoboy that's what we thought about China 20 years ago too...pero hindi na natin paabutin sa debate ito hehe....There are so many things to hate about our country, but we're performing very well in the past few years...if we outperform our peers consistently in....two decades or so...darating din tayo sa level ng Singapore. Just being hopeful hehe..

Conversely can be said about Australia...it's one of the best performing developed country, but as Treasurer Wayne Swan admitted, Australia is not recession-proof...

So to get back to the topic...dual is cool. May option ka kung saan magreretire, at mabibigyan mo rin ng option ang mga anak mo. hehe

Yup, let's rest the case pafs!

lock_code2004 · February 2013

How does it go ba after you acquire Australian Citizenship - how do you lose you Filipino Citizenship?. Meron bang renouncing?

If wala kasi then technically, dual citizen ka immediately noh? Then when your passport expires, you just renew it as per normal.

I know I may be missing something here please bear with me and educate me...

TA!

based sa nabasa ko... automatic daw ito.. once you have acquired citizenship from another country, you lose (automatically) your Philippine citizenship..
that is why you need to apply for dual citizenship..

But i think hindi naman nila malalaman, assuming you still have your valid PH passport..
i'm not sure how it works: example:
- you leave AU, using AU passport
- you enter Phils, using PH passport

lol..

TasBurrfoot · February 2013

@psychoboy
Opinion lang: I think it's more of the oath or plege of loyalty. Once you make that pledge to an appointed official of the government, you are committing yourself to the laws and practices of Australia. This pledge automatically renounce your original citizenship. Plus, wala namang batas na nagbabawal ng dual citizenship pero kailangan formalised. Kaya may procedures ang dual citizenship sa phil embassy. If not, you are probably committing some sort of false identity pag nag-apply ka ng phil passport without going through the dual citizenship procedure.

got your point boss...

Davidx23 · February 2013

So to get back to the topic...dual is cool. May option ka kung saan magreretire, at mabibigyan mo rin ng option ang mga anak mo. hehe

So how about some australian nagreretire sa pinas, they get their pension in Aus, buy a house in boracay, become DOM, etc... Kung ganito, it's not really that difficult for a foreigner to retire in the phils as long as you have $$$ to burn.

icebreaker1928 · February 2013

@Davidx23 mahirap magretire sa Pinas... pag nagkasakit ka ubos yang pera mo..
wala naman medicare sa pinas e.. pag matanda na sakitin pa naman.

adelaide_boi · February 2013

The only privilege you can get as a dual citizen is the right to vote or hold any government position.

Even you are a sole Australian citizen (not dual) you can still acquire assets up to 1,000 sq. meters residential lot and 1 hectare agricultural land and enjoy a lifetime stay in the philippines, as long as you are a NATURAL BORN FILIPINO. It means that you are born in the Philippines with any of your mother or father a filipino citizen in nature. It is clearly stated in the 1986 Government Constitution.

The disadvantage of a dual citizen however is that, when something awful happened to you while you are in the Philippines, the Australian government may not interfere or may partially encompass their assistance to you depending on the severity of the case.

Cheers.

nylram_1981 · February 2013

How does it go ba after you acquire Australian Citizenship - how do you lose you Filipino Citizenship?. Meron bang renouncing?

If wala kasi then technically, dual citizen ka immediately noh? Then when your passport expires, you just renew it as per normal.

I know I may be missing something here please bear with me and educate me...

TA!
based sa nabasa ko... automatic daw ito.. once you have acquired citizenship from another country, you lose (automatically) your Philippine citizenship..
that is why you need to apply for dual citizenship..

But i think hindi naman nila malalaman, assuming you still have your valid PH passport..
i'm not sure how it works: example:
- you leave AU, using AU passport
- you enter Phils, using PH passport

lol..

As discussed dun sa cfo,,,yep,,,once u acquired a new citizenship u will loose ur filipino citizenship. Sample nun speaker is sa japan..japan does not allow dual citizenship daw. So kung japanese citizen k n daw at gusto mong maging filipino citizen ulit, u will give up ur japanese citizenship.

Tingin ko naman hanggat valid ang phil passport mo, no problem.

LokiJr · February 2013

Wow masalimuot pala ang proseso. Kahit matrabaho i would still pursue a dual citizenship in the future. Parang mahirap talikuran ang pagiging pinoy hehe

stolich18 · February 2013

Hehheeh For me ok pa rin tlg imaintain ang dual citizenship. In case kase in the future magdecide bgla magaral ang mga anak dito sa pinas, di na kelangan student visa/foreign student fees. No need to worry about overstaying din, may penalty pa un, aside from te fact na pde ka mag-own ng properties sa pinas. Booming kaya economy natin ngayon, dami na inooutsource mismo ng au sa ph. Heheeh maganda na rin credit rating natin. Sana magtuloy tuloy :-)

stolich18 · February 2013

Sinabi etong mga points na to sa cfo knina. Hehehehe maganda pa rin daw maging dual citizen. Wala namang harm yun, more on the positive side of things pa. :-)

lock_code2004 · February 2013

Love letter to Filipinos
By David H. Harwell
Philippine Daily Inquirer

I am writing to thank Filipinos for the way you have treated me here, and to pass on a lesson I learned from observing the differences between your culture and mine over the years.

I am an expatriate worker. I refer to myself as an OAW, an overseas American worker, as a bad joke. The work I do involves a lot of traveling and changing locations, and I do it alone, without family. I have been in 21 countries now, not including my own. It was fun at first. Now, many years later, I am getting tired. The Philippines remains my favorite country of all, though, and I’d like to tell you why before I have to go away again.

I have lived for short periods here, traveled here, and have family and friends here. My own family of origin in the United States is like that of many Americans—not much of a family. Americans do not stay very close to their families, geographically or emotionally, and that is a major mistake. I have long been looking for a home and a family, and the Philippines is the only place I have lived where people honestly seem to understand how important their families are.

I am American and hard-headed. I am a teacher, but it takes me a long time to learn some things. But I’ve been trying, and your culture has been patient in trying to teach me.

In the countries where I’ve lived and worked, all over the Middle East and Asia, it is Filipinos who do all the work and make everything happen. When I am working in a new company abroad, I seek out the Filipino staff when I need help getting something done, and done right. Your international reputation as employees is that you work hard, don’t complain, and are very capable. If all the Filipinos were to go home from the Middle East, the world would stop. Oil is the lifeblood of the world, but without Filipinos, the oil will not come from the ground, it will not be loaded onto the ships, and the ships will not sail. The offices that make the deals and collect the payments will not even open in the morning. The schools will not have teachers, and, of course, the hospitals will have no staff.

What I have seen, that many of you have not seen, is how your family members, the ones who are overseas Filipino workers, do not tell you much about how hard their lives actually are. OFWs are very often mistreated in other countries, at work and in their personal lives. You probably have not heard much about how they do all the work but are severely underpaid, because they know that the money they are earning must be sent home to you, who depend on them. The OFWs are very strong people, perhaps the strongest I have ever seen. They have their pictures taken in front of nice shops and locations to post on Facebook so that you won’t worry about them. But every Pinoy I have ever met abroad misses his/her family very, very much.

I often pity those of you who go to America. You see pictures of their houses and cars, but not what it took to get those things. We have nice things, too many things, in America, but we take on an incredible debt to get them, and the debt is lifelong. America’s economy is based on debt. Very rarely is a house, car, nice piece of clothing, electronic appliance, and often even food, paid for. We get them with credit, and this debt will take all of our lifetime to pay. That burden is true for anyone in America—the OFWs, those who are married to Americans, and the Americans themselves.

Most of us allow the American Dream to become the American Trap. Some of you who go there make it back home, but you give up most of your lives before you do. Some of you who go there learn the very bad American habits of wanting too many things in your hands, and the result is that you live only to work, instead of working only to live. The things we own actually own us. That is the great mistake we Americans make in our lives. We live only to work, and we work only to buy more things that we don’t need. We lose our lives in the process.

I have sometimes tried to explain it like this: In America, our hands are full, but our hearts are empty.

You have many problems here, I understand that. Americans worry about having new cars, Filipinos worry about having enough food to eat. That’s an enormous difference. But do not envy us, because we should learn something from you. What I see is that even when your hands are empty, your hearts remain full.

I have many privileges in the countries where I work, because I am an expat. I do not deserve these things, but I have them. However, in every country I visit, I see that you are there also, taking care of your families, friends, bosses, and coworkers first, and yourselves last. And you have always taken care of me, in this country and in every other place where I have been.

These are places where I have been very alone, very tired, very hungry, and very worried, but there have always been Filipinos in my offices, in the shops, in the restaurants, in the hospitals, everywhere, who smile at and take good care of me. I always try to let you know that I have lived and traveled in the Philippines and how much I like your country. I know that behind those smiles of yours, here and abroad, are many worries and problems.

Please know that at least one of us expats has seen what you do for others and understands that you have a story behind your smiles. Know that at least one of us admires you, respects you, and thanks you for your sacrifices. Salamat po. Ingat lagi. Mahal ko kayong lahat.

------
David H. Harwell, PhD, is a former professor and assistant dean in the United States who now travels and works abroad designing language training programs. He is a published author and a son of a retired news editor.