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Media giant ABS-CBN has argued that its president emeritus, Eugenio Gabriel “Gabby” López 3rd, is a Filipino citizen.
This comes later The Manila Times revealed that Lopez had a U.S. passport as recent as January 2020, according to records from the Immigration Office.
In a statement, the network said López was born to Filipino parents, the late Eugenio López Jr. and Conchita La’O López, under the 1935 constitution that was in effect when he was born, in effect making him a Filipino citizen.
López was born on August 13, 1952.
The statement said that while López was born in the United States, and therefore, under the United States Constitution, a citizen of the United States, “he did not need to acquire Philippine citizenship because he never lost or renounced it.”
The statement also said that both the Department of Justice and the BI have recognized Filipino citizenship since López’s birth according to Identification Certificate no. 0069, issued on October 1, 2002.
“A passport is not the only proof of citizenship. When Mr. López asked the Immigration Office to recognize his citizenship, it was for the purpose of obtaining official recognition of his Filipino citizenship, “said the statement from the network.
