Qualification of the President

Case #1

Tecson vs COMELEC
G. R. No. 161434, March 3, 2004

Vitug, J

Facts:
This is a case where Ronald Allan Kelly Poe, also known as Fernando Poe, Jr. "FPJ", the hero
of silver screen, and one of the main contenders for the presidency in 2004 National Election, was
challenged by the petitioners in his qualification to run for president for the ground of being allegedly not a
natural-born Filipino citizen as required under Sec. 2, Art. VII of 1987 Constitution “No person may be
elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and
write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten
years immediately preceding such election”.

Issue: Whether or not FPJ is a natural-born Filipino Citizen and qualified to run as President in the 2004
National Election.

Held: Yes

Ratio Decidente:

The term "natural-born citizens," is defined to include "those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without
having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship. It was held that FPJ is a natural born
Filipino citizen because he just naturally acquire it.
Moreover, Under the Jones Law, a native-born inhabitant of the Philippines was deemed to be a citizen of the Philippines as of
11 April 1899 if he was 1) a subject of Spain on 11 April 1899, 2) residing in the Philippines on said date, and, 3) since that
date, not a citizen of some other country. Based on this legality, FPJ's grandfather was a native born inhabitant by virtue of
mass acquisition of citizenship in 1899, his son Allan Poe is also a Filipino Citizen acquired from Lorenzo Poe, hence FPJ is
also a natural-born Filipino Citizen and is qualified to run for presidency.