Our laws specifically this Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act 2003 must be pragmatic and considerate.
Filipinos who succeeded and established abroad deserve the benefits afforded to them by the country that gave them the privileges of citizenship in recognition for their social, cultural and economic contributions. Why stripe them off of these benefits upon reacquiring the Filipino citizenship? Former Filipinos would very likely lose their retirement, health care, insurance and other social benefits once they will be obliged to renounce their foreign citizenship!
Our Philippine goverment must be happy that these former Filipinos still decide to return and do something significant in the Philippiines - "to serve our country and help our people." Or some, still want to share to our impoverished country from what they earned abroad. Is this not enough?
Belgium has just recognized dual citizenship last year 2007. Before one had to chose either to be Belgian or maintain Filipino nationality. Former Filipinos chose to remain Belgian before 2007. Their answer was that "it does not matter because our government could not give them any social benefits and economic security anyway".
In the event that they should renounce their foreign citizenship and subsequently lose their benefits, would the Philippine government replace those benefits? How would they ever survive in an economic stricken and corrupt nation like the Philippines?
It is our goal to encourage former Filipinos to win over their trust to our government. We even conducted an Open Forum about this law last April 15, 2008 to the Filipino communities. I am not convinced about this particular provision, but remain silent because I do not know how to do about this.
It seems the lawmakers are not properly guided or knowledgeable about foreign laws and are entirely inconsiderate to the Filipinos who have sacrificed almost their entire life for having been away from their motherland for so long.
I wonder really what this dual citizenship laws are really for in the long run. Economic Investments? electoral votes? or to squeeze the neck of former Filipinos?
I hope those responsible authorities could do something soon about this "silly provision" that would not just only end up in debates like all other issues.
Mrs. Consorcia de Leon Scholtz
Verenigde Culturele Stichting Vzw
World Mission for Peace Foundation
Brugge, Belgium
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