Lawmakers on Wednesday grilled ABS-CBN Corp. Chairman Emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III over his citizenship, which has been regarded one of the major issues hounding the grant of a new franchise to the broadcast network.
Lopez, through his counsel Mario Bautista, admitted that the ABS-CBN executive is a dual citizen because he was born to Filipino parents in the United States. He is also a holder of both Philippine and US passports.
With this, lawmakers questioned whether a dual citizen like Lopez could own a mass media company in light of the strict Constitutional provision on 100-percent control and ownership of mass media by Filipinos.
Article XVI, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution provides that “the ownership and management of mass media shall be limited to citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations, cooperatives or associations, wholly-owned and managed by such citizens.”
Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin said “undeniably, Gabby Lopez is a natural-born [Filipino] citizen, but he is also an American citizen by virtue of jus soli applied in the American law. The question is whether a dual citizen can own a mass media company.”
Jus soli is a principle of nationality law by which citizenship of a person is determined by the place where he was born.
For his part, Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor said those who handle and acquire mass media in the Philippines must be required to have “full Filipino citizenship.”
He said Lopez’s dual citizenship casts doubt on his true faith and allegiance to the Philippines, “making him disqualified from owning or having control of a mass media company.”
Defensor also insisted that Lopez could have sworn allegiance to the US when he acquired an American passport in 1996.
For House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta, Lopez is more of an American citizen than a Filipino citizen.
During the hearing Marcoleta presented to the panel an “alien fingerprint card” which the lawmaker said Lopez submitted to the US.
“We will have a problem processing that particular issue because [the Constitution] indicates that only Filipinos [are allowed to own a mass media company]. How can we include his American citizenship in our discussions related to that constitutional provision?” Marcoleta said in Filipino, citing Article XVI, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution should also be a citizen of another country.
“Our Constitution is clear that only Filipinos can own and manage mass media, companies and even cooperatives.”
Assertions
For his part, Lopez asserted that he is a natural-born Filipino citizen as he addressed questions about his citizenship.
“I am a natural-born Filipino citizen because both my parents are Filipino citizens,” said Lopez.
Lopez said he never renounced his Filipino citizenship and only sought recognition of his Filipino citizenship from the Department of Justice to secure a Philippine passport.
Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said that Lopez’s American citizenship is a non-issue, “he is undeniably a natural-born Filipino citizen. No amount of interpellations would change this overriding and unalterable fact.”