Yasay admits naturalization try, but insists he isn’t US citizen

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

While insisting that he never became an America citizen, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. admitted on Wednesday that he had applied for “naturalization” and that he took an allegiance to the United States when he also applied for legal permanent residency.

Yasay answered pointblank all questions about his citizenship when he faced his confirmation hearing at the Commission on Appointments’ committee on foreign affairs.

At the start of the hearing, the Secretary said he does not only have documents from the Philippine government showing that he is a Filipino citizen but he also has “official issuances” from the US government, showing that he is not an American citizen.

“It is just unfortunate that there are some quarters, perhaps my detractors at this point in time, who would like to stymie and prevent my confirmation as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and have come up with all of these rumors in media, saying that I’m not a Filipino and that I am an American citizen,” he said in his opening statement.

READ: Yasay confirmation hits snag over ‘US citizenship’

“I have no basis to make a determination as to the truth of this thing but I’d like to emphasize before the Commission that I have in my favor the official issuances of government showing my Philippine citizenship and even the official issuances of the US government showing that I am not an American citizen…”

While the Philippines was under martial law, Yasay fled to the US in 1978 and was granted a legal permanent resident status.

And on Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Sato’s questioning, the Secretary admitted that he took an allegiance to the US as requirement to become a green card holder.

READ: Is Yasay a US citizen? Congressmen want to know

“Your honor, that is a requirement when you make an application for this…” Yasay said.

“When I was admitted into the bar of the state of New York and the Federal Courts including the Supreme Court of the US, I also took an oath to support and defend the laws of the US but I did not abandon my citizenship in the Philippines so there’s no inconsistency insofar as my having taking an oath and my losing citizenship on that basis.”

He pointed out that taking an oath of allegiance to the US as a green card holder is different from taking an oath to become an America citizen.

“Legal permanent residency does not imply becoming an American citizen,” Yasay said.

Still under Sato’s questioning, Yasay reiterated that he had never “legally acquired” American citizenship but admitted he had applied for “naturalization.”

“When I had applied for naturalization , at that time my application for naturalization was given due course…I was not qualified because at that time I already had plans to abandon my permanent residency in the US to return to the Philippines .This was in Nov 1986.”

“And in 1987 of January, few months thereafter, I, in fact, abandoned my permanent residency in the US that rendered me under the laws not qualified to become a US citizen. On that basis, I have never acquired legal status as a US citizen and I have issued the necessary affidavits for this purpose, admitting my disqualification that I submitted early on to the American authorities…” he further said.

Yasay said he had never lost his Filipino citizenship since he had never acquired a new citizenship abroad.

And contrary to earlier media reports, the Secretary denied owning an American passport.