The Taguig City Regional Trial Court has ordered the immediate release of Global Ferronickel Holdings chairperson Joseph Sy, ruling that his detention by the Bureau of Immigration had no legal basis since he is a Filipino citizen.
In a statement, Sy’s legal counsels, Carla Santamaria-Seña and Dennis Manalo said the RTC Branch 271 granted their client’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus and declared that the BI has no authority to detain or deport a Filipino.
The court cited the long-standing doctrine in Chua Hiong v. Deportation Board, which limits deportation to aliens only.
The counsels said the RTC ruling recognized Sy’s citizenship, noting that the BI itself, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of the President, and even the Supreme Court have upheld his Filipino nationality in earlier proceedings.
They said the court gave weight to Sy’s birth certificate and Philippine passports over the BI’s Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) I-Card, ruling that the latter is not a public document with a presumption of truth.
“This ruling is more than a personal vindication for Sy. It is a resounding reminder that Filipino citizenship cannot be stripped away by speculation, recycled cases, or administrative overreach,” Sy’s counsels said.
The BI has yet to issue a statement on the court ruling.
The bureau earlier initiated deportation proceedings against Sy for allegedly falsely claiming to be a Filipino citizen.
Sy, who was arrested on August 21 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) upon his arrival from Hong Kong, is currently detained at the Immigration Detention Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
The businessman’s Chinese name was Chen Zhong Zhen and he has been living in the Philippines since 1991, according to BI records.
Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the bureau is actively investigating other individuals who may have played a role in helping him secure his citizenship.
The Philippine Nickel Industry Association called the arrest unjust and unfair, as Sy had already proven his Filipino citizenship in a prior immigration case.
Sandoval, however, said Sy was previously investigated for misrepresentation, sometime in 2014 or 2015, and that case was dismissed due to lack of evidence.
“Now, it’s different because government intelligence sources have given us a name. And this Chinese name was cross-matched with our records and that’s where the biometric information of the Chinese individual and this Filipino individual came out,” Sandoval said.
“If you were born of foreign parents, both your parents are foreigners, your nationality has no source, you cannot be a Filipino. Unless you are a naturalized Filipino citizen, which this person did not do and which this person does not claim,” she added.
