G.R. No. 12213 ; September 12, 1917
THE UNITED STATES, plaintiff-appellee, vs. ANGEL ANG, defendant-appellant.

FACTS:
The defendant-appellant, Angel Ang, was charged and ordered deported by the lower court for being found in the Philippine Islands without the certificate required by Act No. 702 , on the theory that he was a Chinese subject and a laborer. The lower court found that he was a full-blooded Chinaman and a laborer lacking the necessary certificate. On appeal, the evidence established without contradiction that Angel Ang was born in the Philippine Islands to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. Although he spent a short time in China during his minority, he had resided in the Philippines almost his entire life.

ISSUE:
Whether Angel Ang, a child born in the Philippines of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, is subject to deportation under Act No. 702 for failure to present the required certificate.

RULING:
The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of deportation. It held that a child born in the Philippine Islands to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother is presumed prima facie to be a citizen of the country and is not required to register under Act No. 702 . Citing precedents such as U.S. vs. Ong Tianse and U.S. vs. Wong Kim Ark, the Court ruled that Angel Ang’s birth within the Philippines to a Filipino mother accorded him the status of a citizen, notwithstanding his Chinese appearance or laborer status. The complaint was dismissed, and Angel Ang was ordered discharged from custody.

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