Neil Llamanzares, the husband of Senator Grace Poe, is an American citizen. Unlike Poe who allegedly renounced her American citizenship back in 2012, Mr. Llamanzares seems determined to retain his status as an alien. That may be his prerogative, but it is fraught with many legal consequences.
What will happen if Poe survives the on-going legal challenges against her before the Commission on Elections and the Senate Electoral Tribunal, and gets elected president? That means that the first gentleman, Mr. Llamanzares, will be an American. It will also mean that an alien will be an official resident of Malacañang for an anticipated six years.
A brief review of Philippine history is in order.
Upon his assumption to office in 1935, Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon surprised American colonial authorities in the Philippine Islands by moving to Malacañang, which had been the official residence of the American governors-general in the previous years. It was a surprise because Quezon’s transfer to the palace was not officially covered in the laws which paved the way for the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth.
Quezon argued that since the Filipinos had a new leader in lieu of the American governor-general, the new leader should live in Malacañang where past governors-general lived. Of course, Quezon’s statement also meant that all American tenants needed to vacate the palace immediately.
President Jose P. Laurel of the Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines was more obstinate than Quezon. When the Philippines fell to Japanese invaders in 1942, Japanese troops replaced the American soldiers guarding Malacañang. Almost immediately after his assumption to office in 1943 and his transfer to Malacañang thereafter, Laurel ordered all Japanese sentries out of the palace and replaced them with armed Filipino guards. Laurel said that the President of the Philippines should be guarded by Filipinos. The Japanese had to concede.
Undoubtedly, Quezon and Laurel would be unsettled by the prospect of an alien taking up official residence in Malacañang at taxpayers’ expense—the expenses in operating Malacañang are paid by taxpayers.
Since her husband is an American, how can Poe, assuming she wins as president, maintain a genuine pro-Filipino stand on vital national issues and concerns? Precisely because she has an American spouse, “President” Poe’s official acts involving American interests will always be highly suspect. That will not be good for the Filipino people.
It cannot be denied that the president’s spouse has considerable influence over the president. That was particularly true during the administrations of President Ferdinand Marcos and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Thus, if recent history is an indication, having an alien as the first gentleman is almost like electing an alien to the presidency. In that event, anti-imperialist demonstrators in the country will have a heyday denouncing the Philippine government.
It was reported in the news media that Poe disclosed that Mr. Llamanzares is willing to renounce his American citizenship if Poe wins as president in May 2016. Why should Llamanzares’ renouncement of his American citizenship be dependent on the victory of his wife? Is his American citizenship so precious to Llamanzares and his family that he will only renounce it when the political horizon in the Philippines is favorable to them? By making his possible renouncement dependent on the outcome of the elections, Mr. Llamanzares invites suspicion that if Poe fails in her presidential bid next year, the Llamanzares family will return to the greener pastures of the United States for good.
According to Senator Poe, Mr. Llamanzares is “willing” to renounce his American citizenship if she wins in May 2016. This means that Mr. Llamanzares is not certain to renounce his American citizenship even if his wife is elected president. It also suggests that if Llamanzares does renounce his alien citizenship, it will be an accommodation he will grant to the Filipino people. Good grief!
It is very obvious that Grace Poe and her American husband Neil Llamanzares want the best of both worlds—to stay in the Philippines when the going is good, and to flee to the United States (as a matter of right) when the going gets bad. This smacks of manifest opportunism.
Under Section 81 of the Omnibus Election Code, aliens are not allowed to directly or indirectly aid any candidate, or take part in any election campaign. A violation of this prohibition shall constitute an election offense, which carries penal sanctions. Accordingly, while it may be the prerogative of Mr. Llamanzares to retain his American citizenship, it is also the prerogative of public interest advocates to take legal action against him in the event that he is found to have violated the foregoing prohibition. Should that happen, both husband and wife will be facing raps before the Comelec.
When Senator Poe announced her run for the presidency last September at the alumni house of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Mr. Llamanzares was reported to be among the crowd of supporters present. If this is so, and if Mr. Llamanzares claims that he was there in his capacity as the spouse of the senator, he may have a problem. Section 81 of the OEC does not make any distinction whether or not the alien is a spouse of a candidate. His presence at the proclamation rally in UP may be construed as both an indirect aid to his candidate wife, and as participation in an election campaign. Besides, where the language of the law is clear, and there is no ambiguity in Section 81, there should be no room for creative or ingenious interpretation.
It is disturbing enough that one of the leading contenders for the highest office in the land is not a natural-born citizen of the Philippines and is disqualified for the said office. Adding to that disturbance is that her husband is an alien who does not seem to think highly of Philippine citizenship. Surely, the Filipino people deserve something better than this.