Senators: Yasay could lose DFA post due to US citizenship issue

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay
MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Two senators who are members of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) said the issue of citizenship hounding Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. could cost him his Cabinet post.

In a Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said Yasay was facing a “very serious” situation for saying under oath that he was never an American citizen.

“I was late in the CA hearing last Wednesday when they tackled Yasay. He’s a friend of mine, Mindanaoan ‘yan, but it’s a very serious situation he’s in because he basically mentioned under oath that he was never an American citizen,” Zubiri said.

“Madugo ‘yan. But if we find out today evidence that he was an American citizen, that is a big problem that he has to face in the next hearing next Wednesday… That’s a very grave concern and he could be rejected by the CA because lying to the CA is a very serious problem and concern,” he added.

In his confirmation hearing last week, Yasay declared before the CA that he had never acquired American citizenship and only applied for naturalization. But an affidavit executed by Yasay himself showed he was granted American citizenship and that he took his oath as an American citizen in 1986.

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

Yasay formally renounced his American citizenship on June 28 last year or two days before President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him to the Cabinet.

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito added: “He was not confirmed because we were waiting for the proof of his citizenship. He has to prove this, otherwise like what they said, he could be rejected.” RAM/rga