NEWSFLASH

---

EDU DISQUALIFIED, COMELEC CITES DUAL CITIZENSHIP

Manila, May 9, 1998 - Actor Edu Manzano tore up his American passport yesterday after the Commission on Elections read the decision disqualifying him from running for Vice Mayor of Makati City ,

In a two-page decision, the Comelec second division ruled that based on the records of the Bureau of Immigration, Manzano "has misinterpreted himself as a natural-born Filipino citizen."

The Comelec pointed out that by Manzano's own admission, the LP vice mayoralty candidate holds dual citizenship, a violation of the Election Code which bars those holding dual citizenship from running for public office.

After tearing up his passport at a press conference, Manzano said "the resolution was done in such haste" and claimed that Ernesto Mamaril, who filed the disqualification case against him, is a supporter of his political rival Bong Daza.

Immigration records showed that Manzano registered himself as a foreigner with Alien Certificate of Registration No. B-3162, and that he was born in San Francisco, California in 1955. Under US laws, he is an American citizen.

Manzano admitted that he registered as an alien in 1993, but insisted that he was a Filipino because he was born of a Filipino mother and a Filipino father. He claimed that he did not lose his Filipino citizenship despite his registration as an American citizen.

But the Second Division ruled that Under Section 40 of the Local Government Code, those holding dual citizenship are disqualified from running for any elective local position.

Manzano's votes will still be counted on May 11, because the ruling is not yet final and executory; the actor has the option to tale the case to the Supreme Court or before the Comelec en banc.