Cayetano debunks Inquirer article about his citizenship: 'Well disguised malicious article'

Former senator Alan Peter Cayetano in his Facebook page defended himself and lashed out on the Philippine Daily Inquirer for questioning his Filipino citizenship.

The paper published an article questioning if Cayetano was in fact a Filipino citizen since he was born with a dual citizenship as his mother was American and his father, Filipino. This fact the Senator admitted yet he however, explained that he already gave up his American Citizenship.

Cayetano  called the article "malicious", and questioned why he was not approached by the paper to comment on the matter.

"Your research dug up an old case and even a video but you couldn't send me a text or an email, or give me a call to refute your allegations, or you couldn't even get the result of the Comelec case," he said.

He said that while he had the option of being a citizen of both countries, he gave up his American citizeship because before he took the bar examinations and ran for Congress, he already knew that it was the Filipino people he wanted to serve.


This he said, is because the Constitution allows dual citizenship but detests dual allegiance.

"Like many Filipinos, I love the Philippines and love America and its people, but my allegiance and loyalty is and will always be with the Philippines and the Filipino people," he said.

"I have dedicated my life, risked my life and sacrificed much for the Philippines. It is my duty and honor to do so," he added.

He criticized how the paper makes use of the slogan "balanced news, fearless views" and said that it should be  "One sided news with malicious views".

Cayetano challenged the paper that if he was proven wrong, he'll resign and not accept any appointment to public service.


If otherwise, he said the paper should close down.


Read full post of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano below:

Balanced News, Fearless Views or One-Sided News, Malicious Views!

Thank You, Inquirer, for a well disguised malicious article.

First of all, the basic principle of both journalism and due process is to give the accused a chance to answer.

Because you neither called me nor asked anyone in my office - or just because this was simply a hatchet job -you got so many things in the article wrong.

To answer your headline:
No I am not an American Citizen; I never chose to be an American Citizen.

I am a Filipino and my only nationality is Filipino.

It is NOT true that it is not known what happened with the case filed by former Mayor Capco. A simple check with the Comelec would show that Comelec decided, with finality, that I am a Natural Born Filipino and qualified to run for and hold public office.

The ruling stated that - consistent with the Constitution and jurisprudence from the Supreme Court - 1) Unlike the other cases you mentioned in the malicious article, my case is different (basic law states that different facts lead to a different conclusion) - that I was born a dual Citizen having an American mother and a Filipino father; and (2) that one may be a Natural Born citizen of both countries.

But even without any legal obligation nor necessity, I gave up my American Citizenship because even before I took the Philippine Bar or ran for Congress, I knew I wanted to serve the Filipino People and knew I could only best do that by having no questions to my allegiance - the Philippine Constitution allows dual citizenship but detests dual allegiance; that is why we also passed a dual citizenship law for Filipinos living abroad.

I am not stateless because unlike others who were Filipino then gave up Filipino citizenship for foreign citizenship therefore losing their Filipino citizenship, I always had both, BUT gave up the foreign citizenship. Again, I never chose to be a U.S. Citizen; the reverse is true - I renounced it.

Your research dug up an old case and even a video but you couldn't send me a text or an email, or give me a call to refute your allegations, or you couldn't even get the result of the Comelec case.

Like many Filipinos, I love the Philippines and love America and its people, but my allegiance and loyalty is and will always be with the Philippines and the Filipino people.
I have dedicated my life, risked my life and sacrificed much for the Philippines. It is my duty and honor to do so.

In the process, I have argued and have gone head on against some of the most powerful people in the country.

At this stage of my public service, I have fully supported President Duterte's quadruple war on poverty, crime, drugs and corruption. I have also fully supported his independent foreign policy, thus getting the ire of some in the U.S., ABS CBN, some in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and some in Rappler, some human rights advocates, and of course, the anti-Duterte forces.

That is a small price for me to pay for supporting the President and building a nation.
How about you, Inquirer? Your slogan is balanced news, fearless views?

At what price did you give that up? "One sided news with malicious views"

Let me challenge you. If I'm not Filipino, if I'm still a U.S. citizen or stateless, I'll resign, not run for or accept appointment to public office. But if I am Filipino, you close down your newspaper. Or at least learn to get the other side before you publish!

May GOD Bless you despite our differences.

May GOD Bless The Philippines!

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