Republic of the Philippines
SUPREME COURT
Manila
EN BANC
G.R. No. L-20714 November 24, 1966
IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR ADMISSION TO PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP. HUI ENG, petitioner and appellee,
vs.
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, oppositor and appellant.
Liliano B. Neri for petitioner and appellee.
Office of the Solicitor General for oppositor and appellant.
CONCEPCION, C.J.:
This is an appeal, taken by the Solicitor General, from decision of the Court of First Instance of Misamis Occidental granting the petition of appellee Hui Eng for naturalization as citizen of the Philippines.
Upon a review of the record, we find that Hui Eng has no lucrative trade. According to his own petition, he has an average annual income of P6,000, which is not particularly lucrative for one who, like petitioner herein, is married and has five (5) children, four (4) of them of school age. This becomes more apparent when we consider the prevailing high cost of living, its tendency to become even higher, and the fact that two (2) of petitioner's children are of high school age (14 and 12 years in 1962, now 18 and 16 years, respectively). (Keng Giok vs. Republic, L-13347, August 31, 1961; Justo Tan alias Li Sui vs. Republic, L-16013, March 30, 1963; Uy Ching Ho vs. Republic, L-19582, March 26, 1965; Yu Tiu vs. Republic, L-19844, June 30, 1965; Ong Hock Lian alias Julian Ong vs. Republic, L-21197, May 19, 1966.) .
At any rate, petitioner has not evinced a sincere desire to embrace our customs and traditions and to mingle with the Filipinos or be assimilated by them socially, he having sent his children of school age to Chinese schools — Chiang Kai Shek High School in Manila and Misamis Chinese High School in Ozamis City (Ong Ching Guan vs. Republic, L-15691, March 27, 1961; Garchitorena vs. Republic, L-15102, April 20, 1961; Sy See vs. Republic, L-17025, May 30, 1962; Haw Su Siong & Ramon Cuenco vs. Republic, L-15819, September 29, 1962; Harry Ong Ping Seng vs. Republic, L-19575, February 25, 1965; Uy Ching Ho vs. Republic, L-19582, March 26, 1965; Li Tong Pek vs. Republic, L-20912, November 29, 1965; Lim Yueng vs. Republic, L-21218, December 24, 1965; Chan Kiat Huat vs. Republic, L-19579, February 28, 1966).
WHEREFORE, the decision appealed from should be, as it is hereby, reversed and appellee's petition for naturalization dismissed, with costs against the petitioner.
Reyes, J.B.L., Barrera, Dizon, Regala, Makalintal, Bengzon, J.P., Zaldivar, Sanchez and Castro, JJ., concur.
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