The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the immediate release of Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. (FNI) president Joseph C. Sy, following an earlier Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruling that affirmed his Filipino citizenship.
In a resolution dated September 24, CA directed officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and any custodian of Sy to “immediately release” him from detention under pain of contempt. The court also required the BI to notify the tribunal of its compliance within five days of receiving the order.
FNI, in its disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, said the CA resolution “not only reinforces the earlier RTC decision affirming Mr. Sy’s Filipino citizenship and declaring that the BI has no jurisdiction to detain him, but also supports the long-standing legal presumption in favor of his Filipino citizenship.”
The Taguig Regional Trial Court earlier ruled that Sy’s citizenship had already been upheld in previous proceedings by the BI, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of the President, and the Supreme Court.
It added that Sy’s birth certificate and Philippine passports were superior evidence compared to the Alien Certificate of Registration card relied upon by the BI.
How do you think the CA ruling on Joseph Sy’s case will affect investor confidence in the mining sector?
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