Question & AnswerQ&A (LETTER OF INSTRUCTION NO. 270)
The purpose of Letter of Instruction No. 270 is to enable deserving aliens who have shown love, loyalty, and affinity to the Philippines, and who have contributed to its development, to be granted Philippine citizenship by decree.
The Committee is constituted of the Solicitor General as Chairman, the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, and the Director General of NISA.
The applicant must be at least 21 years of age on the date of the filing of his petition.
The applicant must have had continuous residence in the Philippines of ten years, which may be reduced to five years if the applicant has special qualifications such as holding office under the government, establishing a new industry, being married to a Filipino, teaching, or having been born in the Philippines.
Special qualifications include honorably holding office under the government, establishing a new industry or introducing a useful invention, being married to a Filipino, teaching in a recognized school for at least two years, or having been born in the Philippines.
The applicant must be of good moral character, believe in the principles of the Philippine Constitution, conduct himself properly and irreproachably during his residence in relation to the government and community.
The applicant must be able to speak and write in Pilipino; or English or Spanish, and any of the principal Philippine languages.
The applicant must have enrolled his minor children of school age in Philippine public or private schools recognized by the Department of Education and Culture, where Philippine history, government, and civics are taught or prescribed during the required period of residence.
Disqualifications include being opposed to organized government or affiliated with such groups, defending or teaching violence for ideas, being a polygamist, having been convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude, suffering from mental alienation, or having any incurable contagious disease.
The application must be in triplicate, signed and verified by the petitioner, accompanied by photographs, certified true copies of arrival and registration documents, and affidavits of two credible witnesses attesting to the petitioner's good character and qualifications.
Yes. Applicants born of Filipino mothers before the effectivity of the new Constitution who have resided continuously in the Philippines since birth are considered qualified without other qualifications, provided they do not suffer from disqualifications.
Applications must be filed with the Committee not later than a date specified in 1975 (the exact date is left blank in the text).
The Committee, headed by the Solicitor General, is authorized to promulgate rules, prescribe forms, and set required fees for effective implementation.