ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III asserted that he is a natural-born Filipino citizen as the issue about citizenship was raised by lawmakers blocking the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise.
Lopez was born in the US to both Filipino parents and is a natural born US citizen. However, he is also a Filipino citizen because his mother was a Filipino under the 1935 constitution at that time he was born. Lopez said he never renounced his Filipino citizenship.
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“The way I see it, I am first and foremost a Filipino. I will live, I will die in the Philippines. That is certainly the family’s position and we are 7 generations of Lopezes in the Philippines.
Frankly, the issue of being a dual citizenship is not even something that I think about. I know in my heart I’m
a Filipino. All my actions in the last 35 years I’ve been associated with ABS-CBN has been in the service of the Filipino.
You are right, it is something I should consider but it was never something that I felt was an issue in terms of any of my actions. If it came down to conflict of interest, I will give up my US citizenship in a minute.” said Lopez.
Justice Undersecretary Emmyline Aglipay-Villar affirmed that Lopez is a Filipino citizen and maintained that Lopez did not lose his Filipino citizenship with his use of a US passport.
“Ang kanyang pong paggamit ng kanyang US passport ay hindi po dahilan para mawala po ang kanyang Filipino citizenship. At ang kanyang hindi pagkakaroon ng Philippine passport ay hindi rin isang dahilan na hindi siya maging Pilipino.”
(Photo source: Instagram – @stylelistinc)
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