Facts:

• Chinese petitioner named Yu Kong Eng alias John D. Young filed a petition in the Court of First Instance of Cebu to be admitted as a citizen of the Philippines.
• Provincial fiscal opposed the petition, arguing that the petitioner is not qualified to become a Filipino citizen.
• Court granted the petition but with the condition that it would not be executory until after two years and after the petitioner has complied with other legal requirements.
• Government appealed this decision.
• Yu Kong Eng was born in Amoy, China on October 28, 1908.
• He arrived in the Philippines in 1918 and has been granted permanent residence.
• He is married and has five children, who are studying in government-recognized schools.
• He operates two cinema theaters and earns an annual income of P6,000.
• He is fluent in English, Visayan dialect, and Chinese.
• He believes in the democratic principles of the Philippine Constitution and is not opposed to organized government or affiliated with any subversive individuals or associations.

Issue:

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Ruling:

• The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Yu Kong Eng, affirming the lower court's decision to grant his...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The court considered the opposition of the government, which argued that certain incidents and convictions rendered the petitioner unfit to become a Filipino citizen.
• These incidents included the petitioner's refusal to accept dollar coins as payment for entrance to one of his theaters and his refusal to allow the police to enter the theater to arrest a suspected pickpocket.
• The petitioner was also convicted for driving a car without a license and had his license suspended for a minor traffic violation.
• However, the court found that these incidents were not serious enough to reflect negatively on the petitioner's character.
• The court noted that the petitioner's conduct in refusing dollar coins and preventing the police from entering his theater was motivated by a desire to protect his bus...continue reading