Presidential Decree No. 836, Granting Citizenship to Deserving Aliens and for Other Purposes

1. The grant of Philippine citizenship to the aforesaid aliens under this Decree shall be effective upon their taking the oath of allegiance as Philippine citizens and the issuance to them of certificate of naturalization by the Special Committee. The Commission on Immigration and Deportation shall thereupon cancel their certificate of registration as aliens and issue to them the corresponding identification certificates as citizens;

shown, shall be considered prima facie evidence of failure to bona fide enroll in Philippine schools.

4. In case the alien naturalized under this Decree is a woman, her minor children shall continue to follow the citizenship of their alien father during their minority, but they may elect Philippine citizenship pursuant to existing law upon reaching the age of majority.

5. The Special Committee may cancel certificates of naturalization issued under this decree in the following cases:

(a)If it finds that the naturalized person or his duly authorized representative made any false statement or misrepresentation or committed any violation of law, rules and regulations in connection with the petition for naturalization, or if he otherwise obtains Philippine citizenship fraudulently or illegally, the certificate of naturalization shall be cancelled;

(b)If the naturalized person or his wife, or any of his minor children who acquire Filipino citizenship by virtue of his naturalization shall, within five (5) years next following the grant of Philippine citizenship, establish permanent residence in a foreign country, that individual's certificate of naturalization or acquired citizenship shall be cancelled or revoked; provided that the fact of such person's remaining for more than one year in his country of origin, or two years in any other foreign country, shall be considered prima facie evidence of intent to permanently reside therein;

(c)If the naturalized person or his wife or child with acquired citizenship allows himself or herself to be used as a dummy in violation of any constitutional or legal provision requiring Philippine citizenship as a condition for the exercise, use, or enjoyment of a right, franchise, or privilege, the certificate of naturalization or acquired citizenship shall be cancelled or revoked;

(d)If the naturalized person or his wife or child with acquired citizenship commits any act inimical to national security, the certificate of naturalization or acquired citizenship shall be cancelled or revoked;

6. In case the naturalized person holds any hereditary title, or belongs to any order of nobility, he shall make an express renunciation of his title or membership in this order of nobility before the Special Committee or its duly authorized representative, and such renunciation shall be included in the records of his application for citizenship; and

7. The Special Committee is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations for the effective and expeditious implementation of the provision of this Decree.

8. Any person who shall fraudulently made, falsify, forge, change, alter, or cause or aid any person to do the same, or who shall purposely aid and assist in falsely making, forging, falsifying, changing or altering a naturalization certificate issued under this Decree for the purpose of making use thereof, or in order that the same may be used by another person or persons, and any person who shall purposely aid and assist another in obtaining a naturalization certificate in violation of this Decree, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Pesos ($5,000.00) and by imprisonment for not more than five years, and in the case that the person convicted is a naturalized citizen his certificate of naturalization shall if not earlier cancelled by the Special Committee, be ordered cancelled.

9. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila this 3rd day of December in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.