Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 define nationality as a concept in cultural variation and social differences,

 explain different concepts regarding nationality, and
 discuss issues regarding nationality and statelessness.

 What is nationality and how is it related to nation and citizenship?

 What does Philippine law say about Filipino nationality?
 How does the United Nations Organization resolve issues regarding the right to have a
nationality?
 What is statelessness? What happens to a stateless person?

Find out the answers in this lesson!

Learn about it!

Nation, Nationality, and Citizenship
The line of distinction between the terms "nation" and "nationality" is quite thin. Most of the time,
"nationality" and "citizenship" are used interchangeably. However, it is important to note that these
words do not mean the same thing and actually pertain to different concepts.

Nation
A nation is a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, language, and
economic life through inhabiting a particular country or territory.

Example:

The United Kingdom is a country inhabited mainly by people of four nations: English, Irish, Scottish,
and Welsh.

A nation emphasizes a particular group of people, and a country emphasizes the physical

dimensions and boundaries of a geographical area. On the other hand, a state is a self-governing
legal and political entity.

Nationality
 It is a person’s instinctive membership to a specific nation or country.

 It can be acquired by an individual from the country where he or she was born (jus soli).

 It can be acquired by an individual through his or her parents (jus sanguinis)

 An individual is a national of a particular country by birth. Nationality is acquired through

inheritance from his or her parents.

 People with the same nationality often share the same language, culture, territory, and in
some cases, ancestry. They share the same rights and are protected by the same laws.

Citizenship
 It is a person’s legal and political status in a city or state, which means that an individual has
been registered with the government in some country.

 An individual becomes a citizen of a country only when he or she is accepted into that
country’s political framework through legal terms.

Examples:

 An individual born in the Philippines has a Filipino nationality. He may, however, apply for
citizenship in another country, should he wish to (e.g. a Filipino national applying for
citizenship in Mexico).
  Some people from European Union member countries may have European citizenships that
are different from their nationalities (e.g. an Italian national who is registered as a German
citizen).

 No one will be able to change his nationality, but one can have a different citizenship.

Learn about it!

Filipino Nationality
 The Philippine Nationality Law is based on the principles of jus sanguinis or "right of
blood." Therefore, anyone with a parent who is a citizen or national of the Republic of the
Philippines can acquire Philippine citizenship. This is the primary method of acquiring
citizenship.

 For people born in the Philippines to non-Filipino parents, the Administrative Naturalization

Law of 2000 (R.A. 9139)provides an avenue for administrative naturalization.

Learn about it!

Issues Regarding Nationality and Statelessness
What are some issues concerning nationality and statelessness?

Right to a Nationality

 Every person has a right to a nationality.

 The right to a nationality is a fundamental human right. It is an individual’s right to acquire,
change, or retain his or her nationality. Thus, a country’s law cannot deprive a person the
right to gain a nationality, in case he or she loses it.

Statelessness

 People who do not have a nationality are considered as stateless people.

 According to Article 1 of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), "a stateless person is
someone who is not considered as a national by any State under the operation of its law."

 Most stateless people are considered "refugees," while others lose their nationalities due to
war or conflict, or if their country is annexed by another country and loses its sovereignty.

Case Study: Statelessness in Sabah

Most Filipinos living in Sabah, Malaysia are considered "stateless." Thus, they are not recognized as
people with a nationality. They do not belong to any country or nation.

Since Sabah is a contested territory between Malaysia and the Philippines, the people in Sabah
experience problems in securing their nationalities. Filipinos from nearby Sulu and Tawi-tawi, even
those who are born in Sabah, are not recognized by the Malaysian government as Malaysians. They
are also denied of their Filipino nationality since they are not properly registered in the Philippines.
As a result, they do not enjoy the rights and privileges that citizens of either country enjoy.

This concern is also true in areas and territories under war and conflict.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) handles all issues regarding
refugees and stateless people. The role of UNHCR is to identify stateless people and protect their
rights, as well as prevent statelessness from happening all over the world. They also aid stateless
people in acquiring new citizenship in other countries.

Explore!
Do some research on the number of stateless people in the world, and list the reasons why they are
considered stateless. How do you think can other countries, like the Philippines, help them in their
plight?
Try it!
Look for a foreigner living in the Philippines or a Filipino residing in another country. Ask them the
same question: Do you want to be a Filipino citizen? Why or why not? You can use social media to
look for respondents.

What do you think?

Why do you think a lot of Filipinos migrate to other countries and give up their Filipino citizenship?

Keypoints
 Nationality is the person’s automatic membership to a specific nation while citizenship is a
person’s political status in a city or state.

 No one will be able to change his or her nationality, but one can have a different
citizenship.

 Every person has a right to a nationality because it is a fundamental human right.

 Statelessness is not having a nationality.

 The role of the UNHCR is to identify stateless people, protect their rights, prevent
statelessness from happening all over the world, and aid refugees in acquiring new
citizenship in other countries.