David v.

Agbay

Facts: David became a Canadian citizen by naturalization. Upon their retirement,

David and his wife returned to the Philippines. They purchased a lot along the beach
in Oriental Mindoro. However, they came to know that the portion where they built
their house is public land and part of the salvage zone. David filed a Miscellaneous
Lease Application (MLA) over the subject land with the DENR at the CENRO in
Socorro. In the said application, petitioner indicated that he is a Filipino citizen.

Editha A. Agbay opposed the application on the ground that David, a Canadian
citizen, is disqualified to own land. Meanwhile, while David’s MLA was pending, he
re-acquired his Filipino citizenship under the provisions of R.A. 9225 as evidenced
by Identification Certificate No. 266-10-07 issued by the Consulate General of the
Philippines (Toronto).

In his defense, David averred that at the time he filed his application, he had
intended to re-acquire Philippine citizenship and that he had been assured by a
CENRO officer that he could declare himself as a Filipino.