28 Fil-Ams in New York reacquire PHL citizenship

This year's Philippine Independence Day celebration in New York was doubly significant for at least 28 Filipinos who were granted dual citizenship, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. Consul General to New York Mario de Leon Jr. led the formal oath-taking of the 28 applicants for dual citizenship at a ceremony in Kalayaan Hall last June 8, the DFA said in a statement. "The oath-taking was part of the series of events lined up by the consulate in commemorating the 113th anniversary of Philippine independence," it said. Republic Act 9225 allows Filipinos who acquired foreign citizenship to reacquire their Philippine citizenship. The DFA said the applicants were in full Filipiniana attire, "lending an air of solemnity and significance to what is essentially a daily affair." Oath-taking ceremonies for dual citizenship are held daily at the consulate general, but applicants have the option of joining the once-a-week formal ceremony to emphasize the solemnity and significance of reacquiring Philippine citizenship. The DFA said the formal ceremony was instuted last May and was conceptualized by Assistant Victoria Saldivar of the dual citizenship section of the consulate. — JE, GMA News