GR L 1675; (July, 1949) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-1675; July 30, 1949
Lock Ben Ping (alias Joseph Lock Ben Ping) vs. The Republic of the Philippines
FACTS
Lock Ben Ping, a citizen of China, filed a petition for naturalization as a Filipino citizen in the Court of First Instance of Cebu. The court granted his petition. The Republic of the Philippines appealed, contesting the petitioner’s compliance with a specific legal requirement for naturalization.
ISSUE
Whether the petitioner successfully established, by competent evidence, that the laws of China permit Filipinos to become naturalized citizens thereof—a prerequisite for his own naturalization under Philippine law.
RULING
Yes. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s judgment granting naturalization. The Court did not rule on the specific evidentiary objection raised by the Solicitor General regarding the certification of the Chinese Naturalization Law. Instead, it invoked the doctrine of res judicata or judicial notice based on a prior decision (Yee Bo Mann vs. Republic of the Philippines, G.R. No. L-1606), wherein the Court had already accepted as a fact that the laws of China permit Filipinos to naturalize in that country. Therefore, the petitioner was deemed to have satisfied this requirement.
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