BENBEN

BEN BULAC
IMIGRATION LAW CLASS

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES
METRO MANILA

Eighteenth Congress

Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh day of July, two
thousand twenty.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 16669

AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 63,

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE WAYS IN WHICH
PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP MAY BE LOST OR REAQUIRED

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

assembled:

Section 1. Section 1 of Commonwealth Act No. 63 is hereby amended to read as follows:

SECTION 1. How citizenship may be lost.—A Filipino citizen may lose his citizenship in
any of the following ways and/or events:

(1) By naturalization in a foreign country;

(2) By express renunciation of citizenship;

(3) By subscribing to an oath of allegiance to support the constitution or laws of a foreign

country upon attaining twenty-one years of age or more;

(4) By accepting commission in the military, naval or air service of a foreign country;

(5) By joining a terrorist organization and committing acts of terrorism as defined under
Republic Act 9372 or the Human Securities Act.

(6) By being found guilty by a competent court of the crimes of Treason, under Art 116
or Espionage under Art 117 of Act No. 3815 or the Revised Penal Code.

(7) By cancellation of the certificate of naturalization;

(8) By having been declared, by competent authority, a deserter of the Philippine army,
navy or air corps in time of war, unless subsequently a plenary pardon or amnesty has
been granted; and

(9) In the case of a woman, upon her marriage to a foreigner if, by virtue of the law in
force in her husband’s country, she acquires his nationality.

Section 2. Section 2 of Commonwealth Act No. 63 is hereby amended to read as follows:

SEC. 2. How citizenship may be reacquired.—Citizenship may be reacquired:

(1) By naturalization: Provided, That the applicant possess none of the disqualifications
prescribed in section two of Act Numbered Twenty-nine hundred and twenty-seven;

(2) By repatriation of deserters of the Army, Navy or Air Corp: Provided, That a woman
who lost her citizenship by reason of her marriage to an alien may be repatriated in
accordance with the provisions of this Act after the termination of the marital status; and

(3) By the direct act of Congress.

(4) By the acknowledgement of a competent court of the status of an individual as a

foundling and that such individual elects Filipino citizenship

Section 3. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, may portion of this Act is declared
unconstitutional or invalid, the same shall not affect the validity of the other provisions
not affected thereby.

Section 4. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances, rules and
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 5. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.