Oath of Allegiance (Philippines)

History and composition

Prior to the promulgation of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, residents of the Philippines were considered nationals of the United States, and naturalization was governed by Act No. 2927, the Naturalization Law, passed by the Philippine Legislature. However, with the passage of the Tydings–McDuffie Act in 1934, national status for residents of the Philippines was revoked in preparation for the islands' independence, and the question of nationality was passed on to the then-newly formed Commonwealth government inaugurated in 1935. Pursuant to Article IV of the 1935 Constitution, the National Assembly of the Philippines passed Commonwealth Act No. 473, the Revised Naturalization Law of 1939, which provided a mechanism for the acquisition of Filipino nationality by naturalization.

Under Section 14 of the Law, prior to the issuance of a certificate of naturalization, the person petitioning to be granted Filipino citizenship had to recite the following oath in open court:

With the independence of the Philippines on July 4, 1946, the oath was modified to remove references to the Commonwealth and the United States, although the language remained virtually the same as the original.

This changed in 2003, when the Philippines legalized multiple citizenship and it no longer became mandatory to renounce foreign citizenship to obtain Filipino citizenship. These modifications were subsequently codified in Section 3 of Republic Act No. 9225, which mandates that former Filipino citizens reacquiring Filipino citizenship take an oath of allegiance to the Republic. The oath in its current form is as follows:

Instead of the oath, a petitioner may choose to recite an affirmation of allegiance instead if religious or personal reasons so require.

References

References

1. Commonwealth of the Philippines. (Enacted: June 17, 1939). [http://www.chanrobles.com/commonwealthacts/commonwealthactno473.html Commonwealth Act No. 473 - The Revised Naturalization Law of 1939]. Retrieved December 29, 2011 from the Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.
2. Republic of the Philippines. (Enacted: August 29, 2003). [http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9225.html Republic Act No. 9225 - The Citizenship Retention and Re-acquisition Act of 2003]. Retrieved December 29, 2011 from the Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.