Naturalization bill signed

President Arroyo signed into law the other night a bill allowing the naturalization of non-Filipinos who were born in the Philippines and have resided here since birth.

In enacting the Administrative Naturalization Law of 2001, the President said she understands the predi-cament of aliens born in the Philippines who find it difficult to "share the spirit of nationhood when they deal with the government that has been half-hearted in making them citizens of the country which they want to serve."

"Why should a respectable and responsible individual born and raised in the Philippines not be welcomed into being a full-fledged Filipino?" Mrs. Arroyo asked in her remarks.

The enactment, witnessed by leaders of the Fi-lipino-Chinese community which comprises the bulk of naturalized Filipinos, was held during a dinner hosted by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) Friday night at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City as an advanced celebration of the 103rd Philippine Independence Day.

Mrs. Arroyo described the occasion as a "pivotal chapter" in the life of local-born aliens, most of them of Chinese descent.

"If that individual can prove that he loves the Philippines as the land of his birth, that he acknowledges the responsibilities of Filipino citizenship, that he is willing to be a productive member of our society, and more importantly, that he is willing to fulfill and respect the duties of being a law-abiding citizen of this land, then he should be accepted with open arms as part of the Filipino nation," the President said.

Some 1,800 businessmen, industry and civic leaders, as well as representatives of about 100 non-government organizations attended the dinner.

The naturalization law was the third measure signed into law by Mrs. Arroyo last Friday.

The two others, the Electric Industry Act of 2001 and the P10.9-billion supplemental budget, were inked earlier in the day at Malacañang.

Mrs. Arroyo said the new law would not only make naturalization process for Philippine-born aliens less restrictive, but would also facilitate their integration into the mainstream of Filipino society.

With a faster and much-improved naturalization process, the President said there would be less obstacles for those who wish to live permanently in the Philippines.

She also pointed out that the enactment of the naturalization bill was part of the many reforms her four-month-old administration wants to implement to attain national unity, stability and peace.

She cited anew that even her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, has Chinese blood from his mother’s side with the maternal surname of Tuason which she said was a conversion of the Chinese name Son Tua. – Marichu Villanueva