Philippine foreign secretary dumped over US citizenship

Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay was sacked yesterday after lawmakers ruled he lied to them over his American citizenship, ending an eight-month stint that ironically featured outbursts against the United States. In an extremely rare move, members of a congressional body unanimously voted to reject Yasay’s nomination as foreign secretary following tense confirmation hearings in which he admitted to misleading the lawmakers.

“He was not telling the truth. He was not being forthright in the question and answer portion of the (confirmation) hearings,” Senator Panfilo Lacson told reporters after announcing the decision. President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Yasay, a former roommate at university decades ago, at the start of his administration on June 30 last year.

Following the Commission on Appointments’ ruling, Duterte’s spokesman released a statement confirming Yasay would step down, saying the president would announce an acting foreign secretary. Yasay told an initial confirmation hearing last month that he had never been an American citizen. But on Wednesday Yasay faced the commission again and was grilled over documents that showed he obtained US citizenship in 1986.

‘America has failed us’

The documents also showed Yasay renounced the American citizenship at the US embassy in Manila days before his appointment as foreign secretary. Yasay, who worked as an immigration lawyer while living in the United States, insisted he never lied about his citizenship but apologised for “inadvertently misleading” the commission.

“I may not have fully disclosed what was required in my answering this question but this is really normal in a process like this,” Yasay said. “You get nervous, you somehow come up with answers that you do not intend.” Lacson said Yasay could not be reappointed and warned he may face perjury charges. — AFP