G.R. No. L-13177; August 31, 1960
Swee Din Tan, petitioner-appellee, vs. Republic of the Philippines, oppositor-appellant.

FACTS

Swee Din Tan filed a petition in the Sulu court of first instance to be admitted as a naturalized citizen of the Philippines. The Solicitor-General, representing the Republic of the Philippines, opposed the petition. The lower court granted Swee Din Tan’s petition. The Solicitor-General appealed the decision, contending that the petitioner failed to prove positively his moral irreproachability as required by law.

ISSUE

Whether Swee Din Tan qualifies for naturalization as a citizen of the Philippines.

RULING

The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the lower court and denied the petition for naturalization. The Court found a more fundamental reason for refusal: the petitioner lacked a lucrative employment as required for naturalization. It was admitted that Swee Din Tan, a married man with three children, was a mere employee receiving only P200.00 a month. The Court held that, given the low purchasing power of the currency at the time, a married man with three children could hardly make ends meet on a monthly income of P200.00. Therefore, he could not be considered to have a “lucrative” employment. The Court distinguished this case from prior decisions where applicants with similar or lower incomes were naturalized, noting that in those cases, the applicants either received free board and lodging or had no children. Consequently, the petition was denied, with costs.