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WHEREAS, these Filipino-Vietnamese children, Vietnamese wives (legal, common-law and widows), and other Vietnamese relatives have pending applications for permanent resident status with the Special Committee of the Task Force on International Refugee Assistance and Administration (TFIRAA) under the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which have been referred  by the Department of Justice (DOJ) per its Opinion No. 42 (s. 1993) to the Bureau of Immigration;

WHEREAS, these Filipino-Vietnamese children, Vietnamese wives (legal, common-law widowed) and other Vietnamese relatives have been unable to produce the required legal documentation for their immigration applications because they left during the height of the Vietnam War;

WHEREAS, since their legitimate arrival some 16 to 19 years ago, these Filipino-Vietnamese children, Vietnamese wives (legal, common-law and widowed) and other Vietnamese relatives continue to live as a  marginal minority group who have not been fully integrated into Philippine society and, consequently, have become displaced persons;

WHEREAS, the DOJ has issued Opinion No. 49 (s. 1995), clarifying its Opinion No. 42 (s. 1993), that “the illegitimate child of a Filipino father and a Vietnamese mother is a Filipino citizen considering that a child born of a Filipino father is a Filipino citizen following the 1935 Constitution and the doctrine of jus sanguinis as adopted in the 1973 and the present Constitution as the basis for determining Philippine citizenship,” provided Filipino paternal filiation is established by sufficient and convincing documentary evidence;

WHEREAS, the family units of these Filipino-Vietnamese children should not be broken up by denying Philippine residence to their Vietnamese mothers and relatives who have been part of Philippine society for the past 19 years; and

WHEREAS, to grant permanent resident status to these Vietnamese wives (legal, common-law and widowed) and other Vietnamese relatives is in line with the Constitutional policies under Article XV, Section 1, recognizing the importance of the family as the foundation of the nation, Article II, Section 12, recognizing the sanctity of family life and Article XV, Section 3, defending the rights of children.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby orders:

1. This Order shall apply strictly to:

a) those Vietnamese citizens who legally arrived in the Philippines prior to or during the Vietnam War, but not later than 31 December 1978;

b) children of Filipino citizens and the Vietnamese citizens referred to in paragraph (a) above, whether or not their parents were legally married and whether or not such children were born in the Philippines, provided Filipino paternal filiation is established in accordance with law; and

c) direct descendants of children of Filipino and Vietnamese parentage referred to in paragraph (b) above.

2. Pursuant to Section 47 of the Immigration Act of 1940, the following Vietnamese citizens, and all Vietnamese citizens similarly situated but not included in this list at the time of issuance of this Order, if not otherwise qualified for Philippine citizenship as children of Filipino citizens under the 1935, 1973 and present Constitutions, are hereby granted permanent resident status:

4. The Secretary of Justice is hereby directed to immediately prepare the guidelines to be followed by the Bureau of Immigration in the processing of the citizenship papers of the Filipino-Vietnamese children who are covered by this Order, pursuant to the Department of Justice Opinion No. 49 (s. 1995), clarifying its Opinion No. 42 (s. 1993) that the Filipino-Vietnamese children of Filipino men and Vietnamese women, are entitled to Philippine citizenship as natural-born citizens on the basis of Filipino paternity and the doctrine of jus sanguinis, under the 1935, 1973 and present Constitutions, provided that Filipino paternal filiation is proved administratively in accordance with law.

5. The Bureau of Immigration is hereby given until 15 August 1995 to complete the processing of the citizenship papers or permanent resident visas, as the case may be, of the foregoing Vietnamese citizens, Filipino-Vietnamese children and other persons similarly situated who are covered by this Order. The Secretary of Justice shall submit his report on the implementation of this Order to the Office of the President on or before 31 August 1995.

6. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs is hereby directed to facilitate the issuance of passports to the Filipino-Vietnamese children found qualified for Philippine citizenship pursuant to this Order if the latter desire to apply for the same.

The Secretaries of Justice and Foreign Affairs are hereby directed to provide residence and travel documents to the foregoing Vietnamese citizens and other Vietnamese citizens similarly situated who are hereby granted permanent resident status but cannot obtain Vietnamese passports.

7 This Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 29th day of May, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Five.

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary