CHIONGBIAN VS.

DE LEON
FACTS: Herein petitioner is a son of a Chinese citizen who has been elected into office
before the adoption of the Constitution, wherein said petitioner was still a minor.
Respondents seeks to cancel petitioners registration certificates of vessels and rescind the
sale of vessels from the same on the ground that the latter is allegedly not a Filipino citizen
and therefore not qualified to operate and own vessels of Philippine registry.
ISSUE: Whether or not petitioner is a Filipino citizen.
HELD: Yes, because the petitioner, aside from the fact that he was a minor at the time of the
adoption of the Constitution, follows the citizenship of his father who having been elected to
public office before the adoption of the said Constitution became a Filipino citizen as
provided by the same (Art. IV, 1987 Constitution).