his return to the Philippines. The petition must be supported by the affidavit of at least two persons, stating that they are citizens of the Philippine Islands and personally know the petitioner to be a resident of the islands and a person of good repute and morally irreproachable, and that said petitioner has in their opinion all the qualifications necessary to become a citizen of the Philippine Islands. The petition shall also set forth the names and post-office addresses of such witnesses as the petitioner may desire to introduce at the hearing of the

case.

6. Competent Court.-The Court of First Instance of the province or district in which the petitioner resides shall have exclusive original jurisdiction, and the Supreme Court of the Philippine Islands appellate jurisdiction, as to the hearing of petitions for naturalisation.

7. Notification and Appearance.-Immediately upon the filing of a petition, it shall be the duty of the Clerk of the Court to publish the same at petitioner's expense, once a week for three consecutive weeks, in the "Official Gazette," and to have copies of said petition and a general notice of the hearing posted in a public and conspicuous place in his office or in the building where said office is located, setting forth in such notice the name, birthplace and residence of the petitioner, the date and place of his arrival in the Philippine Islands, the names of the witnesses whom the petitioner proposes to introduce in support of his petition, and the date of the final hearing of the petitioner, which hearing shall be held after sixty days from the date of the last publication of the notice in the "Official Gazette." The Clerk shall, as soon as possible, forward copies of the petition, the sentence, the naturalisation certificate, and other pertinent data to the Department of the Interior: Provided, however, that as regards the notice and publication in the "Official Gazette,' and the period within which the petition must be heard, this Section shall not be applicable to the persons comprised in Sub-Section (a) of Section 1.

8. Hearing of the Petition.-No petition, except that of the persons mentioned in Sub-Section (a) of Section 1, which may be heard immediately, shall be heard within the thirty days preceding any election. The hearing shall be public, and the Attorney-General, either himself or through his delegate or the provincial fiscal concerned, shall appear on behalf of the Government of the Philippine Islands at all the proceedings and at the hearing. If, after the hearing, the Court believes, in view of the evidence taken, that the petitioner has all the qualifications required by this Act and has complied with all requisites herein established, it shall order the proper naturalisation certificate to be issued.

9. Appeal. The final sentence may, at the request of

either of the Parties, be carried to the Supreme Court for revision in the form provided in Section 143 and following Sections of the Code of Civil Procedure.

10. Issuance of the Certificate of Naturalisation.-If, after the lapse of thirty days from and after the date on which the Parties were notified of the decision of the Court, no appeal has been filed, or if, upon appeal, the decision of the Court has been confirmed by the Supreme Court, the Clerk of the Court which heard the petition shall issue to the petitioner a naturalisation certificate which shall, among other things, state the following: The file number of the petition, the number of the naturalisation certificate, the signature of the person naturalised, affixed in the presence of the Clerk of the Court, the personal circumstances of the person naturalised, the date on which his petition was filed, the date of the decision granting the petition, and the name of the judge who rendered the decision.

Before the naturalisation certificate is issued, the petitioner shall, in open Court, take the following oath :

I. solemnly swear that I renounce all faith and allegiance to the prince, authority, State or sovereignty (giving name) whose subject I am; that I recognise and accept the supreme authority of the United States of America in the Philippine Islands and will maintain true faith and allegiance thereto; that I will obey the laws of the Philippine Islands and the legal orders and decrees promulgated by the authorities duly constituted in the same; that I solemnly swear that I will faithfully defend the Government of the Philippine Islands, and that I impose upon myself this obligation voluntarily, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion. So help me God.

11. Record Books.-The Clerk of the Court shall keep two books: one in which the petitions shall be recorded in chronological order, noting all proceedings thereon from the filing of the petition to the final issuance of the naturalisation certificate; and another, which shall be a record of naturalisation certificates and each page of which shall have a duplicate, which shall be duly attested by the Clerk of the Court and delivered to the petitioner.

12. Fees.-The Clerk of the Court of First Instance shall charge as fees for recording a petition for naturalisation and for the proceedings in connection therewith, including the issuance of the certificate, the sum of 16 pesos.

The Clerk of the Supreme Court shall collect for each appeal and for the services rendered by him in connection therewith, the sum of 24 pesos.

13. Right of Widow and Children of Petitioners who have Died. In case a petitioner should die before the final decision has been rendered, his widow and minor children may con

tinue the proceedings. The decision rendered in the case shall, so far as the widow and minor children are concerned, produce the same legal effect as if it had been rendered during the life of the petitioner..

14. Cancellation of Naturalisation Certificate issued.Upon motion made in the proper proceedings by the Attorney-General or his representative, or by the proper provincial fiscal, the competent judge may cancel the naturalisation certificate issued: (a) if it is shown that said naturalisation certificate was obtained fraudulently; (b) if the person naturalised shall, within the five years next following the issuance of said naturalisation certificate, return to his native country or to some foreign country and establish his permanent residence there: Provided, that the fact of the person naturalised remaining for more than one year in his native country or the country of his former nationality, or two years in any other foreign country, shall be considered as prima facie evidence of his intention of taking up his permanent residence in the same; (c) if the person naturalised is convicted of any violation of this Act, as provided in Section 15 hereof. A certified copy of the Decree cancelling the naturalisation certificate shall be forwarded by the Clerk of the Court to the Department of the Interior.

15. Penalties for Violations of this Act.-Any person who shall fraudulently make, falsify, forge, change, alter, or cause or aid any person to do the same, or who shall purposely aid and assist in falsely making, forging, falsifying, changing or altering a naturalisation certificate for the purpose of making use thereof, or in order that the same may be used by another person or persons, and any person who shall purposely aid and assist another in obtaining a naturalisation certificate in violation of the provisions of this Act, shall be punished by a fine of not more than 5,000 pesos or by imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

16. Prescription.-No person shall be prosecuted, charged or punished for an offence implying a violation of the provisions of this Act, unless the information or complaint is filed within five years after the commission of said offence.

17. Regulations and Blanks.-The Secretary of Justice shall issue the necessary regulations for the proper enforcement of this Act. Naturalisation certificate blanks and other blanks required for carrying out the provisions of this Act shall be prepared and furnished by the Attorney-General, subject to the approval of the Secretary of Justice.

18. Date when this Act shall take effect.-This Act shall take effect on its approval.

Approved, March 26, 1920.