GR L 20287; (July, 1965) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-20287 July 30, 1965
CELESTINO TAN @ CELESTINO L. GUY, petitioner-appellee, vs. REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, oppositor-appellant.
FACTS
Celestino Tan, also known as Celestino L. Guy, filed a petition for naturalization as a Filipino citizen before the Court of First Instance of Manila. He was born in the Philippines on April 7, 1928, to Chinese parents, Tan Tian and Lim Cho. His birth certificate and alien certificate of registration show his name as Celestino Tan. However, when enrolled in elementary school at the Philippine Chinese Republican School by his parents, he was registered under the name Celestino Guy, which he claims was his ancestor’s surname. He continued using the name Celestino Guy throughout his high school education at Far Eastern University and his college enrollment at the University of Santo Tomas. He married Angela Soriano, a Filipino citizen, on July 18, 1954, and they have four children, all registered with the surname Guy. Petitioner works as an insurance agent with a substantial net income. The Solicitor General opposed the petition, alleging that petitioner did not conduct himself in a proper and irreproachable manner during his entire period of residence. The lower court granted the petition, prompting the Government’s appeal.
ISSUE
Whether petitioner Celestino Tan alias Celestino L. Guy has conducted himself in a proper and irreproachable manner during the entire period of his residence, as required for naturalization.
RULING
The Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision and dismissed the petition for naturalization. The Court held that petitioner’s continuous use of the alias name “Guy” without judicial authority constituted a failure to conduct himself in a proper and irreproachable manner. This act violated Commonwealth Act No. 142 , which prohibits the use of an alias without court permission, and Article 376 of the Civil Code, which requires judicial authority to change one’s name. The use of the alias created confusion regarding his true identity, as evidenced by his need to obtain a certificate from the Bureau of Immigration in 1953 to clarify that Celestino Guy was his other name. Furthermore, he extended this unauthorized use to his children by registering them with the surname Guy. Therefore, petitioner did not meet the requisite standard of conduct for naturalization.