Supreme Court upholds Pennisi's Filipino citizenship

MANILA, Philippines - Former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player Michael Alfio “Mick” Pennisi is a Filipino citizen, the Supreme Court has ruled.

In a 16-page decision penned by Senior Justice Antonio Carpio, the High Court affirmed the Sept. 30, 2005 decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) that upheld the Filipino nationality of Australia-born Pennisi who used to play for Red Bull and San Miguel teams.

The SC ruled “to sustain the Court of Appeals that the evidence presented before the [Bureau of Immigration] BI and the DOJ....have more probative value and must prevail.”

Among the said evidence presented is the certified true copy of Mike Pennisi’s birth certificate indicating the birthplace of his mother, Anita Tomeda Quintos, as Philippines. Mick, who was born on March 13, 1965 in Queensland, Australia, has since left the country.

Other documents show that Mick’s mother Anita is a Filipino when she married his father Australian Alfio Pennisi. One of the documents is the certified true copy of the July 14, 1999 letter of the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs stating that as of said date, Anita T. Quintos has not been granted Australian citizenship.

The Court junked the opposition of the government seeking deportation of Pennisi, who has reportedly married to a Filipino woman with whom he already has a child. – Edu Punay