BI meets Asi's mom, defers verdict

Asi Taulava's fate remains in the balance as the Bureau of Immigration yesterday failed to arrive at a decision on the cager's case despite the testimony of his mother made to bolster his claim to Philippine citizenship.

Paulina Hernandez Mateaki Taulava testified behind closed doors before members of the BI board of commissioners who cross-examined her for nearly an hour regarding her alleged Filipino lineage.

Still, the board failed to hand a decision on the case pending final deliberation on all the pieces of testimonial and documentary evidence gathered in previous hearings.

Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez refused to give a hint on what the board's decision would be but said it would be released Monday.

Rodriguez said that he and the two other board members, BI associate commissioners Alan Yap and Linda Hornilla, would discuss Taulava's case for the last time Friday before announcing their decision Monday.

Rodriguez declined to answer questions on whether he was impressed by Ms. Taulava's testimony or if she managed to erase all remaining doubts regarding her citizenship.

All he said was that Ms. Taulava was asked to explain the discrepancies in her birth certificates and that of her son regarding information on her actual place of birth.

Ms. Taulava, according to Rodriguez, maintained that she was born in San Jose, Northern Samar in 1950 and that she was still a Filipino at the time of her son's birth in 1973 since she was naturalized as a Tongan citizen in 1976.

She further recounted that she was only five years old when her family migrated to Tonga where she met Taulava's father and that she and her husband now live in San Francisco, California.

Taulava's case became controversial after the BI ordered his summary deportation late last year as a result of a Department of Justice (DOJ) ruling revoking his certificate of recognition as a Filipino.

Taulava appealed his case and promised to bring her mother here to testify aside from submitting documents in support of his claim to Philippine citizenship.

The cancellation of Taulava's certificate of recognition was prompted by discrepancies discovered in his birth certificate, which shows that his mother was born in Vaot'u, Tonga, and that of Ms. Taulava, which indicated that she was born in San Jose, Northern Samar.

Also yesterday, the board heard the testimony of Red Bull Fil-Am cager Davonn Harp who testified that he was born to a Filipino father.