13 August 2015 - Seventy-eight (78) year-old Florencia Rivera believes that it is every Filipino’s duty to acknowledge one’s roots no matter what.

“I decided to re-acquire my Philippine citizenship after years of being overseas because I love my country. I was born, raised there and was molded very well in it. I do not want to forget my roots. We should all not forget where we come from,” Mrs. Rivera said.

Mrs. Rivera personally went to the Philippine Mission/Philippine Consulate Genera in Geneva on August 06 to apply for dual citizenship, which under Republic Act No. 9225 - the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003 - natural-born Filipinos who became naturalized citizens of other countries may regain their original citizenship by taking the oath of allegiance.

Re-acquiring or retaining citizenship is fast and straightforward. One has to go to the Embassy or Consulate and take an oath of allegiance to protect and serve the Republic of the Philippines.

Now, Mrs. Rivera enjoys the same economic, political and civil rights again as any other Philippine citizen.

Immediately after her oath, Mrs. Rivera narrated that she felt “whole” again after so many years of being away from the Philippines. She immediately applied for her Philippine passport and expressed her appreciation to the Philippine Consulate for its services.

“We welcome the likes of Mrs. Rivera, who voluntary and willingly came over to the Philippine Consulate to re-acquire her Philippine citizenship. What struck us when we interviewed her about her reasons for doing so was her answers, she was almost teary-eyed when she was narrating how she still wants to be a Filipino, despite having been abroad for so many years, and that she would like it to be well-documented as well,” Consul General Enrico T. Fos said. “Despite her age, she has still chosen to recognize her roots and plan to give back in whatever means she said she may do so.”

The Philippine Consulate General in Geneva continues to receive a good number of applications for dual citizenship. From January to June 2015, there was a significant increase in the number of Filipinos who availed of the dual citizenship in the Consulate, with a total of 38 individual applications received and approved. END