Seeing no way out of his predicament, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. now says he did own a United States passport. This after insisting, numerous times and one of those times under oath, that he never owned one.
The secretary’s most recent lie was during his own confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments. Asked by a lawmaker whether it was true he ever owned a US passport—which the US Code states can only be owned by American citizens—he gave a convoluted answer that ended with “not having information about the truth of that allegation.”
He further muddled the truth by saying: “What I am saying is that I do not have any information about that passport at all.”
On a television interview Monday morning, however, Yasay said, and rather dismissively as if to lighten his infraction: “I had an American passport, but that has already been returned together with my naturalization certificate.”
However, documents showed Mr. Yasay only formally renounced his US citizenship on June 28, 2016, before a consular officer at the US Embassy. This was two days before President Rodrigo Duterte —who had invited Yasay to become foreign secretary—was sworn into office.
On Monday, Yasay insisted that he did not legally acquire American citizenship. He was granted one in 1986 but was disqualified for a “preconceived intent of abandoning his US residency.”
“Well… taking my oath does not make me a US citizen if precisely the basis upon which the grant of American citizenship is flawed and is defective,” Yasay said
That a foreigner was at all invited to be part of the official family—let alone head a department that was the Philippine’s face before the international community smacks of sloppy staff work by the selection team. It is unfortunate the appointing power heeded their counsel in the first place.
But that Yasay accepted the post fully aware of his impediments, proceeded to perform his job while keeping up his lie—in fact defending it before anybody who dared questioned him —speaks volumes about the man’s character.
It gets better when we recall he used to be part of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and had the gall to seek public office, first as senator and then vice president—all before formally renouncing his US citizenship.
We won’t anymore go to the disagreeable acts Mr. Yasay committed in the months he was Secretary of Foreign Affairs. We take exception, however, to his cunning use of language to try to skirt fundamental questions. Unfortunately for Mr. Yasay, he tries and fails.
One was either a US citizen or not. One either had a US passport or not. One either had the qualifications to be part of the Executive family or not.
One is a liar or not.
The only logical choice is to fire Yasay. A confirmation is remote, at this point. And if we are to go by experience, we can assume Mr. Yasay, too, will not have the decency to step down on his own.