IF one’s intention in seeking any elective post is to serve the people in his/her place with utmost sincerity, of course, there must be no objection from anyone at all as it’s everyone’s rights under the Philippine Constitution especially so when she or he is qualified as required by law.
Hence, no one should go against the desire of this Rossana ‘Ria’ Vergara, the wife of re-electionist Cabanatuan City Mayor Julius Cesar V. Vergara, on her decision to run for Congress in the province’s third district.
But wait, she’s facing a disqualification case for allegedly being an American citizen and it’s quite a sensitive matter as it would mean her integrity which can surely be ruined if concerned authorities would eventually ruled against her.
Prompt actions must be served on this particular case and if she’ll be found eligible to run, well, so be it! However, if found lying on her Certificate of Candidacy, the poll body should readily delete her name from the bets’ list in the city as this is a clear false material representation when she claimed to be a Filipino at the time she filed it and, at the same time, a registered voter in Barangay Rizdelis since 2003.
Records would show that she’s a holder of an American passport which she’s been using in her numerous travels abroad.
Same records would indicate that based on her travel records, she’s been using her US passport as early as August 15, 2002 and as such, it can be safely assumed that she’s an American citizen.
Under Section 2 of Republic Act 9225 or the Dual Citizenship Law, she needs to file a verified petition for reacquisition of Philippine citizenship before the Bureau of Immigration.
Assuming that she reacquired her Filipino citizenship, the reacquisition doesn’t retroact to the date of her voter’s registration in 2003.
A Cabanatuan resident, Philip Piccio, has petitioned the poll body and accused Vergara of false representation by stating that she has been a resident of the Philippines for a period of at least 10 years and of Nueva Ecija for more than 21 years.
“She abandoned her residence in the Philippines when she became a naturalized American citizen; her acts show that she intended America to be her place of domicile and residence,” he claimed.
“How can you establish residency if you are using an American passport?” he asks as he adds that assuming she’s a Filipino citizen for the sake of argument, she remains ineligible to run because she lacked 13 days out of the one-year residency requirement to run for Congress.
Well, the petition must be given due course considering that there can be a deliberate attempt to mislead, misinform or hide a fact which would otherwise render her ineligible to run.
And it would be a grievous offense against the law of man when one would lie to the people whom she or he wants to serve as a ‘public servant.’ GOOD RIDDANCE/ARLIE CALALO
