House panel seeks clarification on dual citizenship issue
Members of the House of Representatives’ committee on dangerous drugs encountered a surprising revelation during a recent hearing regarding a controversial drug operation in Mexico, Pampanga. The committee was supposed to conclude the hearing when committee chairperson Rep. Robert Ace Barbers raised questions about the citizenship of Henry Bigay, the President of Yatai International Corporation.
Bigay, who also goes by the name Henry Yang, admitted to holding both a Chinese and a Philippine passport. When asked about his citizenship, Bigay initially stated that he was Filipino but later revealed that he also had a Chinese passport. This sparked concerns among the committee members, who sought clarification from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration.
According to Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Arman Talbo, a Filipino can only hold dual citizenship if they were born to a Filipino parent and a foreign parent. Additionally, Talbo noted that if a Filipino acquires another citizenship after birth, they lose their Filipino citizenship unless they reacquire it through the appropriate legal process.
The Bureau of Immigration also weighed in, stating that Bigay’s status as a native-born individual is still active, but he would need to apply for Filipino naturalization to be eligible for a Filipino passport. Despite the complexities of the issue, some lawmakers believe that Bigay may have been unwittingly caught up in his father’s schemes to circumvent foreign ownership restrictions on local companies.
The hearing, which initially focused on a drug bust in Pampanga, has now raised questions about citizenship and foreign ownership in the Philippines. It remains to be seen how this issue will impact the ongoing investigation into the drug operation and its alleged ties to various individuals and companies.
