SC to launch new naturalization rules Friday

MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) will formally launch this week its newly approved rule in facilitating naturalization proceedings for refugees and stateless persons recognized by the government.

The launching will be held at the session hall on March 25, the SC confirmed in a statement on Monday.

The rule approved by the SC en banc last month aims to simplify and reduce legal and procedural hurdles in obtaining Philippine citizenship and facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees and stateless persons into Philippine society.

The rule takes effect 15 days after publication in two newspapers of national circulation.

It governs the procedure for the filing of petitions for naturalization by refugees and stateless persons under the country’s commitment to international law, particularly the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

The new SC rule, among other things, allows for electronic publication.

Under Section 12, if the court is satisfied that the petition is sufficient in form and substance, it shall direct the Clerk of Court to cause the publication of the petition, excluding its annexes, for three consecutive weeks in the Official Gazette or its website; in one newspaper of general circulation or its website; or in the SC official website.

The SC said the measure “is with due regard to the special and vulnerable circumstances of refugees and stateless persons, such that the alternative modes of publication would reduce the necessary fees and be less burdensome for them”.

The rule also allows an unaccompanied child to file a petition for naturalization filed on the child’s behalf by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, appropriate Local Social Welfare and Development Office where the unaccompanied child resides or the caring agency that has custody of the child.

The new rules put into fruition the goal of the Judiciary to “provide affordable and effective means of attaining justice” by introducing judicial reforms or streamlining court rules to ensure an efficient, fair, and speedy delivery of justice, the SC stated.