CASE FACTS ISSUES RULING

Topic: Chule Y. Lim, respondent, was an Whether or not The constitutional and statutory
illegitimate child of a Chinese father respondent Lim needs to requirements of electing Filipino
Election of Philippine
Citizenship and a Filipino mother. She filed a elect Filipino citizenship citizenship apply only to legitimate
petition to the court for correction upon reaching the age of children. These do not apply in the case of
of four erroneous entries in her majority respondent who was concededly an
birth certificate among others that her illegitimate child, considering that her Chinese
nationality was entered as Chinese father and Filipino mother were never married.
when it should have been Filipino and that As such, she was not required to comply with
she was a legitimate child when she said constitutional and statutory requirements to
REPUBLIC VS LIM should have been described as illegitimate become a Filipino citizen. By being an illegitimate
considering that her parents were never child of a Filipino mother, respondent
G.R. No. 153883, married. The RTC granted the petition and automatically became a Filipino upon birth.
January 13, 2004 the same was affirmed by the CA. Stated differently, she is a Filipino since birth
without having to elect Filipino citizenship when
The Republic filed the instant petition she reached the age of majority.
questioning the decision of the CA in
ordering the correction of the citizenship
of Lim from “Chinese” to “Filipino” despite
the fact the Lim never elect Filipino
citizenship.