Supreme Court unseats Nueva Ecija official, rules he's a US citizen

CABANATUAN CITY , Philippines   – Barely four months after assuming his post, a municipal vice mayor in a Nueva Ecija town was booted out of office by the Supreme Court.

Voting 13-0, the High Court granted the disqualification filed against Guimba Vice Mayor Roseller de Guzman for his failure to renounce his American citizenship before the elections.

De Guzman however told The STAR in a phone interview that he is still the sitting vice mayor because the SC ruling is not yet final and executory.

“My legal counsel has filed a motion for reconsideration and until my motion is resolved by the Supreme Court, I’m still the lawful vice mayor,” he said.

De Guzman, who is a close ally of Gov. Aurelio Umali, assumed his post only last May after unseating Vice Mayor Angelina dela Cruz.

The SC’s 11-page ruling, penned by Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, was concurred in by Chief Justice Reynato Puno and Associate Justices Leonardo Quisumbing, Antonio Carpio, Renato Corona, Conchita Chico-Nazario, Presbiterio Velasco Jr., Antonio Nachura, Teresita de Castro, Arturo Brion, Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin.

De Guzman explained that while he is a “naturalized” American, he had applied for dual citizenship under Republic Act 9225 and took his oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines on Sept. 6, 2006.

Having re-acquired Filipino citizenship, he said he is entitled to exercise full civil and political rights and is therefore, qualified and eligible to run for vice mayor in Guimba.  

The SC however cited Section 5.2 of Republic Act 9225, which stipulates that swearing an oath of allegiance to the country and renunciation of foreign citizenship are two different acts that must be complied with.