Case Digest (G.R. No. 146478)
Facts:
In the Matter of the Petition of Antonio L. Co for Naturalization, G.R. No. L-21078, April 29, 1966, the Supreme Court En Banc, Makalintal, J., writing for the Court. Antonio L. Co (petitioner/appellee), born in Pampanga in 1937 and a citizen of Nationalist China, applied for Philippine naturalization in the Court of First Instance of Pampanga. In its decision of March 24, 1962 the trial court found him qualified and granted his petition.The Solicitor General (oppositor/appellant) appealed the CFI's grant to the Supreme Court, contending that petitioner failed to meet the statutory requirement of having a "lucrative trade or occupation." The record showed that petitioner had lived continuously in the Philippines except for a four‑month trip to Amoy in 1947; he completed elementary and secondary schooling at Guagua National Colleges, Pampanga, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the East, Manila. Evidence also established his good conduct and moral character, association with Filipinos, desire to embrace local customs, acceptable political convictions and sympathies, knowledge of constitutional principles, absence of criminal record, and sound physical and mental health.
On the contested point, petitioner testified that he earned P200.00 per month as assistant manager of his parents' sugar‑cane farm. The Supreme Court reviewed recent jurisprudence (notably Antonio Dy v. Republic, G.R. No. L-20348, Dec. 24, 1965) and concluded that the stated income and employment did not satisfy the "lucrative trade or occupation" requirement; the Court reversed...(Subscriber-Only)
Issues:
- Did petitioner satisfy the naturalization requirement of possessing a "lucrative trade or occupation"?...(Subscriber-Only)
Ruling:
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Ratio:
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Doctrine:
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