Poe has Filipino citizenship — DFA

Action king Fernando Poe Jr. is a Filipino citizen and eligible to run for public office in the 2004 elections.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Poe’s documents indicate that he is a Filipino citizen.

Bernardita Catalla, executive director of the DFA’s Consular Division, revealed that Poe was born on Aug. 20, 1939 to Allan Poe of Pangasinan and Bessy Kelly, an American.

Based on the 1935 Constitution, the nationality of a child is based on that of the father and not the mother.

Questions were raised about the nationality of Poe as talk of his intention to run in the 2004 elections started to spread.

Poe has yet to confirm his plans for 2004 but various political parties have been courting him due to his huge popularity as an actor. – Marvin Sy