MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles ) – The Philippines’ Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) today dismissed the disqualification case filed against Senator Grace Poe.
The case stemmed from allegations that Poe is not a natural-born citizen by virtue of being a foundling, and that she had previously renounced her Filipino citizenship when she and her children became dual citizens. Poe’s husband, Neil Llamanzares is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Philippines.
To run for senator or president, a candidate must be a natural-born citizen.
During today’s final hearing on the case, the SET asked Poe, a candidate for president in the 2016 elections, to prove her Filipino citizenship by singing the national anthem.
Joined by her husband and step mom Susan Roces, Poe proudly placed her hand against her chest and sang the national anthem.
Alas, it was the wrong nationl anthem. It was the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’
Right there and then, the case was dismissed for obvious reasons, to the delight of the plaintiff, Rizalito David. Poe defeated David in the last senatorial elections.
MANILA, Philippines ( The Adobo Chronicles) – Amid questions over her and her family’s citizenship, Philippine presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe said her husband would renounce his American citizenship to show “support” for her administration if she wins in 2016.
Poe’s husband Neil Llamanzares and their 3 children enjoy dual citizenship – of the United States and the Philippines.
Not to be outdone, Liberal Party and administration candidate Mar Roxas pledged today that if he loses in the 2016 elections, he and his wife, broadcaster Korina Sanchez will renounce their Filipino citizenship.
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (The Adobo Chronicles) – The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has just ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship does not apply to island territories including American Samoa.
Agreeing with the Obama administration’s lawyers, the DC Circuit relied on and even expanded the scope of a set of racially-charged, Colonial-era cases that refer to “savages” and “alien races” to reach their decision.
The cited Insular Cases date back to the early 20th century when the US had just won the Spanish-American War and acquired Puerto Rico and the far-flung new territories of Guam and the Philippines. The US acquired American Samoa in two parts in 1900 and 1904 as part of its continued expansion. But American political leaders had a problem: They wanted the United States to become a colonial power, but they didn’t want to extend constitutional protections to the overwhelmingly nonwhite residents of the new territories. (As one of the friend-of-the-court brief in the current case notes, the Democratic Party’s official platform in 1900 argued that “the Filipinos cannot be citizens without endangering our civilization.”)
American Samoa is one of U.S. territories that also include Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Marianas.
Reacting to the court decision, the American Samoa Fono, the territory’s legislature, unanimously passed an emergency bill requiring all visiting U.S. citizens to apply for an entry visa. The bill was immediately signed by Governor Lolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga.
“If the U.S. doesn’t want us to be citizens, then we don’t want U.S. citizens to freely come and go on our beautiful islands,” Moliga said.
Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson, star of the new blockbuster movie ‘San Andreas,’ was scheduled to visit American Samoa over the weekend for some R & R, but had to cancel travel plans. Johnson, a U.S. citizen, is part Samoan. He said he is not upset about the new visa requirement. In fact, he is supportive of it, saying the issue “is not just about fairness or birthright citizenship; it is about U.S. colonial mentality that has no place in our modern society.”
MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles ) – The Philippines’ Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) today dismissed the disqualification case filed against Senator Grace Poe.
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