Good news for innocent Japanese-Filipino Children!

[ugnayan]

This good news is not just for us Filipinos but for all the NGOs, Christian churches & institutions who have been helping the innocent Filipino-Japanese children in Japan and back home in the Philippines. I have to emphasize the word "innocent" Filipino-Japanese children since I know there are readers who are indifferent to the parents. May we seek for the greater good of the least of our brethren!

Japan court grants nationality to Filipino-Japanese kids

TOKYO -- A Japanese court in a landmark judgment ruled Wednesday (today!) that a law which refuses nationality to children of unmarried Japanese men and foreign women is unconstitutional.

The law refuses nationality to children born to an unmarried foreign mother and Japanese father unless the father recognizes the child as his before the birth.

Judge Hiroyuki Kanno of the Tokyo District Court was hearing a suit brought on behalf of nine children of Japanese fathers and Filipina mothers. He said it was unconstitutional not to grant nationality to a child by reason "of their parents' illegitimate marital status."

"The higher court wouldn't be able to reverse today's judgment unless it has some substantial reason to explain to do so," said Hironori Kondo, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs.

For complete news: Source: http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=1&story_id=70978

[Tonyang]

Thanks for this news, Sis Ugnayan. Sana lang huwag magamit ang mga bata para sa kapakanan ng matatanda at sana'y huwag ang mga batang ito ang maghirap ng husto dahil wala silang naging choice kundi maipanganak kahit di sigurado ang kanilang buhay na normal. Huwag sana kayong magalit sa akin dahil marami nang mga JFC akong nakilala na mabibilang ang masasayang araw sa buhay.

[ugnayan]

Hi! Tonyang, busy na naman tayo sa mga balitang ganito pero 14 na taon ko rin hinintay! Kararating ko sa Japan noong kainitan ng balita tungkol sa denied Japanese citizenship ang adopted Japanese-Filipino child ng 2 Amerikanong misyonero.

Maraming lumapit sa akin na mga Hapong manggagawa sa simbahan tungkol sa mga abandoned Japanese-Filipino children sa mga ospital at iba't-ibang lugar sa Japan. Nasa dyaryo rin ang statistics noong 1994 na kung may 17,000 abandoned Japanese-Filipino children sa Japan ganun din sa Pilipinas.

Sa balitang ito darami ang mga kababayan natin sa Japan! O dapat paghandaan na ang kanilang iskwelahan.....Kumus ta na ang Filipino International School, Ka Tonyang?

Sa Sabado ay may meeting kami sa pagpapatayo ng Reischauer University--15 taon na paghahanda :)

[Tonyang]

Minsan sis nakaka-overwhelm pag naririnig o nababasa natin iyung mga salitang "nagdagsaan", "dumarami" etc. Pero sa realidad, matagal na panahon ang kailangan para mahawakan ang daming ito na pagdating ng panahong hihintayin ay nag-multiply na. Pero may evolution kaya minsan, papunta rin sa target ang nais nating mangyari kung minsan. Like iyung pagtuturo ng computer noong 1999, di pa masyadong sikat iyan pero ngayon, dahil sa convenience ng technology sa Japan at mindset ng karamihang mamamayan natin, nagiging tech-aware na rin halos ang nakararami. Good news ito.

Good luck sa iyong matagal na hinintay na university project. 15 years... not too long to wait. Pag pinagtitiyagaan, parang katabi mo lang iyung pangarap mo sa buhay right? Kasi iyung vision malinaw na sa ating isip iyan bago pa maging totoo. Yup, tiyaga at sipag lang at magkakatotoo rin.

Iyung FISJ (Filipino International School in Japan) project ay nasa usual stage pa lang ng pagpapakilala o paghuhugis nito sa mundong ginagalawan natin ngayon. Kung lahat magtitiwala at mag-cashpool tayong lahat dito sa TF, next week, buo na ito. Pero di ganoon ang ikot ng mundo o totoong buhay natin. Bawat pangyayari dapat pinaghihirapan natin... kasi magandang ideya siya na close to impossible sa nakararami. Paano ba nga naman mabubuo ito kung walang mekanismo para makabuo ng pondo para rito. Marami sa mga kababayan natin, nag-aabang na lang at pag nabuo at saka maga-apply... bakit di kaya magtulungan muna tayong lahat para mabuo ito? Pero puno't dulo pa rin iyung awareness at interest ng mga kababayan natin at mga pro-Filipino na puwede itong mangyari. Yup, may "learning" stages muna tayo... hanggang sa mabuo ang mekanismo. Ooops medyo matagalan ito kasi long-term plan kaya iyung mainipin siguro di na maghihintay pero iyung matitiyaga at gustong kumilos para magkatotoo ito, tiyak nandiyan lang palagi. Pero punto rito, ilan ang magtitiyaga? Di ba ang mga Pinoy karaniwan short-term thinker? O nag-evolve na rin tayo dahil may pagka-Hapon na tayo? For those friends of yours who want to help, may pangalawang BLOG tayo sa http://fisj.wordpress.com .

Good luck sa lahat ng ginagawa mo riyan, Sis Ugnayan. Balitaan tayo.

[v_wrangler]

Maraming lumapit sa akin na mga Hapong manggagawa sa simbahan tungkol sa mga abandoned Japanese-Filipino children sa mga ospital at iba't-ibang lugar sa Japan. Nasa dyaryo rin ang statistics noong 1994 na kung may 17,000 abandoned Japanese-Filipino children sa Japan ganun din sa Pilipinas.

Tulad ni Antonina na medyo nangangamba, sagot ba talaga ang ang pagkakaroon ng Japanese Citizenship? Hindi bat gabay ang kinakailangan ng mga libo-libong kabataang ito. Hindi kaya lalung dumami ang mga batang bunga ng ganitong kalagayan? Hindi kaya maging dahilan ito upang maging mas matapang ang mga dayuhang ina na magkaanak upang maging lehitimo ang kanilang pag tapak sa bansa? Hindi kaya ito ang maging dahilan ng daliang pagkawasak ng pamilya? Gusto ba talaga ng mga bata ang citizenship?

[Tonyang]

Tulad ni Antonina na medyo nangangamba, sagot ba talaga ang ang pagkakaroon ng Japanese Citizenship? Hindi bat gabay ang kinakailangan ng mga libo-libong kabataang ito. Hindi kaya lalung dumami ang mga batang bunga ng ganitong kalagayan? Hindi kaya maging dahilan ito upang maging mas matapang ang mga dayuhang ina na magkaanak upang maging lehitimo ang kanilang pag tapak sa bansa? Hindi kaya ito ang maging dahilan ng daliang pagkawasak ng pamilya? Gusto ba talaga ng mga bata ang citizenship?

Tingin ko riyan V_Wrangler... dapat may limit talaga na kailangan like lahat ng mga bata na ngayon na wala pang recognition. Para harangin iyung mga babaeng di nagpaplano sa buhay at sige-sige lang. What do you think? Pero mahirap magdikta di ba? Konsiyensiya lang ang dapat umiral... sa panahon ngayon, umiiral pa ba ang konsiyensiya o paano dapat maging panakot ito sa iba para matakot sa Diyos.

[v_wrangler]

1 2 3 4

[v_wrangler]

Tingin ko riyan V_Wrangler... dapat may limit talaga na kailangan like lahat ng mga bata na ngayon na wala pang recognition. Para harangin iyung mga babaeng di nagpaplano sa buhay at sige-sige lang. What do you think? Pero mahirap magdikta di ba? Konsiyensiya lang ang dapat umiral... sa panahon ngayon, umiiral pa ba ang konsiyensiya o paano dapat maging panakot ito sa iba para matakot sa Diyos.

Tama ka diyan, I think there should be proper guidelines sa mga darating na pagbatay sa desisyon na ito ng korte. It should apply sa mga bata na isinilang na at nalilito sa kanilang patutunguhan.

Sana'y maging babala na rin ang kalalabasang batas nito sa mga kalalakihang walang magawa kundi maghasik ng lagim..

[fisher]

Nawala ang pagod ko sa buong maghapong trabaho pagkarinig ko sa balitang ito (my wife told me about it and she is happy as well).Sa wakas!

[ugnayan]

Tulad ni Antonina na medyo nangangamba, sagot ba talaga ang ang pagkakaroon ng Japanese Citizenship? Hindi bat gabay ang kinakailangan ng mga libo-libong kabataang ito. Hindi kaya lalung dumami ang mga batang bunga ng ganitong kalagayan? Hindi kaya maging dahilan ito upang maging mas matapang ang mga dayuhang ina na magkaanak upang maging lehitimo ang kanilang pag tapak sa bansa? Hindi kaya ito ang maging dahilan ng daliang pagkawasak ng pamilya? Gusto ba talaga ng mga bata ang citizenship?

Una, iniisip ko ang kapakanan ng mga inosenteng bata. Kung may dugong Hapon si Antonina, may karapatan syang maging citizen sa Japan. Marami akong nakikitang positibo sa kinabukasan niya dito. Ang susunod na hakbang sana ay ang pagkakaroon ng dual citizenship, Filipino-Japanese. Pwede naman ito sa American-Japanese. Hindi ko sigurado sa mga iba pang lahi....

Pangalawa, tama na gabay ang kailangan ng mga kabataan. It takes a community to raise a child kaya hindi lang responsibilidad ng isa! Lahat tayo ay pwedeng magamit sa paghubog ng isang tao. A verse comes to mind, "What you have done unto others, you have done it unto God!" Hindi rin lingid sa mata ng ating Manlilikha ang mga motibo ng tao. Sa paggamit ng iba para sa kanilang sariling kapakanan...magsisi man pero harapin nila ang kahihinatnan (consequences!)

Pangatlo, "it takes two to tango"....maraming excuses sa mga pagkakamali...marami ng pumapasok sa relasyon lalo na sa mga may asawa na....sa bandang huli ang pagsisisi...ang panandaliang kaligayahan ay nauuwi sa habang buhay na pagdala ng bunga nito...kaya pati sa mga matatanda ay kailangan din ng gabay....paalala sa mga OFWs!

Pang-apat, sa murang isipan ng mga bata lalo na tungkol sa pagpili ng citizenship, nawa'y ipaliwanag ng mga matatanda....sa paggabay nila ay isipin para sa kabutihan palagi ng mga bata!

[ugnayan]

Minsan sis nakaka-overwhelm pag naririnig o nababasa natin iyung mga salitang "nagdagsaan", "dumarami" etc. Pero sa realidad, matagal na panahon ang kailangan para mahawakan ang daming ito na pagdating ng panahong hihintayin ay nag-multiply na. Pero may evolution kaya minsan, papunta rin sa target ang nais nating mangyari kung minsan. Like iyung pagtuturo ng computer noong 1999, di pa masyadong sikat iyan pero ngayon, dahil sa convenience ng technology sa Japan at mindset ng karamihang mamamayan natin, nagiging tech-aware na rin halos ang nakararami. Good news ito.

Salamat sa sulat mo, Sis. Tonyang! Actually, natuloy pa rin ang Computer Learning na pinag-usapan natin noong 1999 pero sa mga bahay-bahay na lang at pagkatapos ng ilang taon ay sa mission center namin. Iba rin kasi ang motibo ng mga enrollees noon na nakilala mong sumasama sa akin. Mabigat na pressure sa akin na gawing legal ang mga papeles nila na iniisip kung may Certificate sa school ay OK na. Ang magpapaupa ng lugar noon ay hinahabol ng house agent....Ako ang ipapaharap pa ng mga tao at sasalo sa mga gusot. Sa hangaring makatulong kung minsan tayo pa ang napapahamak o ipinapahamak....Sala mat at buhay ang ating Diyos at nakaabot pa ako ng 14 taon na dito sa Japan na walang guarantor sa visa ko! Tumira naman na ako sa mahigit 20 bansa pero sa Japan pa rin ako inilagay ng Panginoon...marami pa ang gawain dito at hindi pa rin tapos ang misyon ko....

Good luck sa lahat ng ginagawa mo riyan, Sis Ugnayan. Balitaan tayo.

Sige magbalitaan tayo...Napapangiti lang ako sa iniisip ko na kung tayo ang magkaroon ng anak sa Hapon, ang visa ba natin ay dependent sa anak natin? For sure, hindi ako magpapalit ng Filipino citizenship ko!

[adechan]

@ugnayan

this is really a good news, pangpapalakas din nang loob iyan sa mga kababayan natin dito sa tabi tabi.

[ugnayan]

Hello, Adechan! I waited for this news for 14 years! You can spread this around and be a guide to them. It's a wonderful service to mankind. Take care and God bless!

[ugnayan]

Nawala ang pagod ko sa buong maghapong trabaho pagkarinig ko sa balitang ito (my wife told me about it and she is happy as well).Sa wakas!

Thanks for your post, Fisher! Sometimes I just think of our Filipino women related to Japanese that would benefit this new law. You and V_wrangler remind me that there are also Filipino men related to our host people.

I have 2 Filipino male friends married to Japanese women and they come to our mission center. We eat Filipino dishes together as we share our struggles in coping with living overseas. Their children are really beautiful who inspire them to keep on keeping on!

Cheers!:)

[v_wrangler]

Thanks for your post, Fisher! Sometimes I just think of our Filipino women related to Japanese that would benefit this new law. You and V_wrangler remind me that there are also Filipino men related to our host people.

I have 2 Filipino male friends married to Japanese women and they come to our mission center. We eat Filipino dishes together as we share our struggles in coping with living overseas. Their children are really beautiful who inspire them to keep on keeping on!

Cheers!:)

Hello Ugnayan, our missions might look differently from the outside but I am sure we are all one in the heart. I see that you are in the Saitama area, FYI - I am temporarily holed up at Skip City in Kawaguchi - so we're probably a bus away from each other - I'm stressing that because I am curious about the "...eating FIlipino dishes" in your post above. :) I'm one hungry pinoy stomach!

Regards,

[ugnayan]

Hi V_Wrangler! Sure we can arrange EB-Kawaguchi over Filipino dishes and talk about Filipino-Japanese children's future in Japan. It's my sister-in-law who's still living there since I moved to Tokyo 7 years ago. Though I pass Kawaguchi area once a week.

I know that there are growing Filipino stores in Kawaguchi; that means, there are more and more Filipinos living in this city. My Japanese friends told me that there's a big animation company here. Is this your company? :dowave:

By the way, I haven't relayed your regards to Joey though we met on March 11 for the AsiAid Charity Concert and met again last Monday to remit the money at the Philippine National Bank. Sorry, po. Like what you said, "our missions may look different," this holds true with Joey and me but when it comes to charity concerts, we take time to work together....then we go to our own busy world again....Hope the 3 of us can meet sometime or with other people in the media industry! It would be fun to be an "extra" in your film projects even just production "alalay"/assistant.:wavey:

[v_wrangler]

Hi V_Wrangler! Sure we can arrange EB-Kawaguchi over Filipino dishes and talk about Filipino-Japanese children's future in Japan. It's my sister-in-law who's still living there since I moved to Tokyo 7 years ago. Though I pass Kawaguchi area once a week.

I know that there are growing Filipino stores in Kawaguchi; that means, there are more and more Filipinos living in this city. My Japanese friends told me that there's a big animation company here. Is this your company?

I'm not really sure, we aren't really big. Skip is a center for all these sort of stuff so am sure there are other companies like us in the same building. I don't know about the other animation houses outside skip city though.. An EB over lunch at Kawaguchi sounds fun, just fill me in:).

No probs about Joey, the guys adorable and I met him only once!

Going back to the original post - So the"ninchi" is still required, right? This time it didnt matter whether it was granted before the children in question were born, Am I correct?

Regards,

[pointblank]

I'm not really sure, we aren't really big. Skip is a center for all these sort of stuff so am sure there are other companies like us in the same building.

Hello v-wrangler.

Saitama??? Akala ko ba taga-Hokkaido ka, mukhang nadalaw ka diyan bigla?

By the way, di ko gets yung "1 2 3 4" na post mo... (medyo utoi ako minsan, please educate)

Going back to the thread... yes, I have the same reservations that you & Tonyang earlier expressed. Ano ba talaga ang mas nakakabuti sa mga bata (JFCs in general) in the long run?

It seems that this ruling can end up opening Pandora's box. Special case kasi itong dalawang bata, since malinaw naman ang paternity dahil ina-acknowledge ng tatay at mukhang magkasama sila sa bahay. The only difference between the elder (Pinoy passport) and younger (Hapon passport) sisters is the timing of the ninchi, so it is only but fair & logical to give the older girl Japanese citizenship.

However, hindi ganung ka-simple for abandoned children. In the first place, how can they prove that they have Japanese blood if there is no evidence of the father? DNA tests are only effective if there is a "suspected" father, but without that father, it cannot prove that a child is Japanese dahil walang nationality ang blood cells.

Ang worry ko is that many people will jump to conclusions (as humans have a tendency to interpret things in their favor) and think that it is now easy for their children to get Japanese citizenship.

Please note that (unless my legal reading is wrong) na hindi pa tapos ang kaso since this will be elevated to the Supreme Court where the decision can still be overturned. There was a case last year of a child granted Japanese citizenship by the lower courts, but was recently overturned and denied by the higher courts.

[v_wrangler]

Hello v-wrangler.
Saitama??? Akala ko ba taga-Hokkaido ka, mukhang nadalaw ka diyan bigla?
By the way, di ko gets yung "1 2 3 4" na post mo... (medyo utoi ako minsan, please educate)
pointblank, I couldn't resist you - I've been wondering what makes you click so I tried getting closer to where you are. Biro lang :). I am actually based in Sapporo but tanshin funin in Kawaguchi (we have a small studio here) for close to two years na. I report back to Sapporo once a while naman. Regarding the 1234, it doesn't mean anything at all. Minsan kasi ay do-doble ang post ko and I do not want to sound repetitive :), I can't delete the entire post nor leave the post blank because the board requires a minimum of 4 digits, kaya ayun - 1234 palagi napipindot ko.


Going back to the thread... yes, I have the same reservations that you & Tonyang earlier expressed. Ano ba talaga ang mas nakakabuti sa mga bata (JFCs in general) in the long run?

It seems that this ruling can end up opening Pandora's box. Special case kasi itong dalawang bata, since malinaw naman ang paternity dahil ina-acknowledge ng tatay at mukhang magkasama sila sa bahay. The only difference between the elder (Pinoy passport) and younger (Hapon passport) sisters is the timing of the ninchi, so it is only but fair & logical to give the older girl Japanese citizenship.
I do not know if we're talking about the same case, because what I read seems to be referring to nine children. But anyways, I also agree that the ninchi timing shouldn't matter at all, if the father recognizes and lives with the child - then the child should be given the right to secure her citizenship and identify with her heritage.


However, hindi ganung ka-simple for abandoned children. In the first place, how can they prove that they have Japanese blood if there is no evidence of the father? DNA tests are only effective if there is a "suspected" father, but without that father, it cannot prove that a child is Japanese dahil walang nationality ang blood cells.
Ang worry ko is that many people will jump to conclusions (as humans have a tendency to interpret things in their favor) and think that it is now easy for their children to get Japanese citizenship.
Mayroon mang grupo na tumulong sa paghahanap sa mga "suspect" fathers - I am sure making them acknowledge or even submit to DNA tests won't be a walk in the park as well. (I could think of a hundred reasons but to be the devil's advocate now would probably require a separate thread...)


Please note that (unless my legal reading is wrong) na hindi pa tapos ang kaso since this will be elevated to the Supreme Court where the decision can still be overturned. There was a case last year of a child granted Japanese citizenship by the lower courts, but was recently overturned and denied by the higher courts.
I feel the same, unless the decision evolves into a fine print in the constitution, there is the uncertainty that it could be reversed again...

Regards,

[Tonyang]

Thanks, Ugnayan at V_Wrangler.

Pointblank, actually naging balita at nabasa natin ito sa headline. At ikinakalat na sa mga kababayan natin at sigurado, subject to many interpretation ito. Bukas makalawa, balita na sa lahat na puwede na ito sa lahat ng mga JFC at ang magkakalat nito ang mga kapwa natin na hindi naintindihan ang puno't dulo ng balitang ito.

Btw, eto iyung naging petition na ikinalat natin dito sa TF. Isang version ito na online at mas maraming offline responses:

http://www.timog.com/forum/showthread.php?t=243 2

So, the usual... mas maraming masaya ngayon sa balitang nabasa kaysa sa bilang ng mga lumagda. Di kaya tuwing may reasonable petition, pareho lang ang bilang ng naging masaya sa lumagda? Paano kaya puwedeng mangyari iyon?

[v_wrangler]

Here is how the last case like this ended upon appeal.
Court overturns ruling that recognized boy's Japanese nationality (http://www.crnjapan.com/articles/2006/en/20060413-cannot_refuse_citize nship.html)

[Galadriel]

Mukhang may tagilid sa kaso na ito. Last news na nabasa ko last Saturday inaa-appeal ng Japanese Government ang decision sa upper court. Although, it was not stated there the reason on why the said appeal. I pity the children involved, more than anything else. This will break their hearts again, probably twice as much as before. Any psychological help for these children?

Btw, here is the link: http://www.crisscross.com/jp/news/369301

[ugnayan]

Hello Ugnayan, our missions might look differently from the outside but I am sure we are all one in the heart. I see that you are in the Saitama area, FYI - I am temporarily holed up at Skip City in Kawaguchi - so we're probably a bus away from each other - I'm stressing that because I am curious about the "...eating FIlipino dishes" in your post above. :) I'm one hungry pinoy stomach!

Regards,

Hi v_wrangler! Nasa Kawaguchi ako last night at nakipagkita sa mga Filipino doon. Maghahanda sila ng Filipino dishes sa Wednesday night (supper) at nasabi ko na imbitahin ko kayo. OK ba kayo sa Miyerkules, Abril 19, ng gabi?

[mOtt_erU]

... magandang balita yan ha Ugnayan San....:)