Facts:

• Petition for naturalization filed by Wilfredo Go Bon Lee before the Court of First Instance of Cebu.
• Previous certificate of naturalization granted to Go Bon Lee was revoked by the Supreme Court due to his failure to enroll his minor children in any recognized school.
• Go Bon Lee filed a new petition for naturalization to address the issue.
• Go Bon Lee was born on June 9, 1884, in Amoy, China, to Chinese parents.
• He arrived in the Philippines on December 17, 1919, and was issued a landing certificate.
• Got married in Amoy, China, in 1917 to Sy Hong and has six children.
• All of his children were already married and no longer under his parental authority.
• Go Bon Lee attempted to bring his children to the Philippines before the war, but his mother-in-law objected.
• In 1939, his mother-in-law promised to send the children to the Philippines, but due to the outbreak of the war between China and Japan, this did not happen.
• In 1948 or 1949, Go Bon Lee applied for his children's admission to the Philippines, but the Department of Foreign Affairs found defects in his petition and did not allow their admission.
• Currently, only his daughter Pacita Go is living with him in Cebu City, while his other children remain in Amoy, China.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of First Instance of Cebu, denying Go Bon Lee's petition for naturalization.
• Go Bon Lee's failure to enroll his minor children in any public or private school recognized by the government is a valid ground for the cancellation of his certificate of naturalization.
• The fact that his children are in a foreign countr...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The court based its ruling on the provision of the Naturalization Law, which requires the enrollment of minor children in recognized schools as a condition for naturalization.
• The court emphasized that the difficulty Go Bon Lee faced in bringing his children to the P...continue reading