BI junks deportation case vs Nueva Ecija solon
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday junked the deportation complaint against Nueva Ecija Rep. Rosanna Vergara, who reacquired her Philippine citizenship a decade ago.
The BI said in an order dated December 20, 2016 that Vergara’s reacquisition of Philippine citizenship was “duly processed and approved” under Republic Act 9225 or Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Law of 2003.
The ruling was signed by BI Commissioner Jaime Morente upon the recommendation of Special Prosecutor Victor Andrew Siriban and BI legal division chief Atty. Cesar Santos.
In a statement, Morente said that the BI lacks jurisdiction over the congresswoman’s case. He stressed that BI is “not the forum to resolve questions pertaning to her citizenship,” and the complaint filed by Philip Piccio, a Cabanatuan resident, should be addressed properly “in an adversarial suit before a court of competent jurisdiction and with the active participation of the Solicitor General.”
“The authority to rule on whether to revoke or not Vergara’s reacquisition of Philippine citizenship under RA 9225 belongs to the Department of Justice or the regular courts,” Morente said.
The complainant was an alleged ally of former Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelio Umali, who ran and lost to Vergara in the province’s third congressional district in May last year.
Piccio filed the deportation case in August 2016 but was dismissed immediately for the lack of merit. He then filed a supplemental petition.
Vergara denounced the complaint as a “harassment suit to block her candidacy.” RAM/rga
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