IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF RAMON HONG CHIONG YU ALIAS RAMON L. YOUNG TO BE ADMITTED A CITIZEN OF THE PHILIPPINES, RAMON HONG CHIONG YU ALIAS RAMON L. YOUNG, PETITIONER-APP…

Appeal
by the Solicitor General from the decision of the Court of First
Instance of Oriental Mindoro (Case No.
R-20) granting appellee’s petition for naturalization.  The case was submitted without petitioner-appellee’s
brief in reply to that of appellant.

Petitioner was born of Chinese parents in the municipality of
Capiz (now Roxas City), Province of Capiz, on January 15, 1934 and since then
resided con­tinuously in the
Philippines.  He studied and finished his
elementary education in Aklan College, a Catholic institution, and his high
school in the Northwestern Vi­sayan College, both located at Kalibo,
Aklan.  At the time of the hearing his
place of residence was Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro, although he was then a
fourth year chemical engineering student at the Mapua Institute of
Technology, Manila.  According to his
petition filed October 13, 1959, his annual income was P1,800.00 as a salesman
of the Globe Bicycle Store at 564 Plaza C. de la Barca, Manila.

Two witnesses, former Congressman Conrado Morente and Mayor
Dominador Madrid, both residents of Pinamalayan, vouched for petitioner’s good
moral character and irreproach­able conduct.

In this appeal, the Solicitor General alleges that the court a
quo erred in granting the petition notwithstanding:  (1) the failure of petitioner-appellee to
indicate in his petition his former place or places of residence; (2) his
insufficient annual income, alleged in the petition to be only P1,800.00; and
(3) the fact that petitioner was using an alias without judicial authority.

The evidence is not clear insofar as the first error is
concerned.  But even only on the ground
stated in the second assignment of error, this appeal must be sustained.  As alleged in the petition,
petitioner-appellee’s annual income was P1,800.00, or P150.00 a month.  We have repeatedly held that such an amount is not sufficient to
satisfy the requirement of the Naturalization law that the applicant must have a
lucrative occupation or calling.  (Sy Ang
Hoc vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-12400, March 29, 1961; Richard Velasco vs. Republic,
G. R. No. L-12214, May 25, 1960; Tan vs. Re­public, G. R. No. L-14861, March
17, 1961; Zacarias vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-14860, May 30, 1961), nor a monthly
income of P200.00 (Go vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-18068, October 30, 1962; Ong
Lim Chuan vs. Republic, G. R. No. L­18550, February 28, 1964; Koh Chet Hianchit
S. Chua vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-17223, June 30, 1964; Chua vs. Republic, G.
R. No. L-19695, October 31, 1964; Tan vs. Republic, G. R. L-19580, April 30,
1965; Yap vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-19649, April 30, 1965; Lim Uy vs. Republic,
G. R. No. L-19916, June 23, 1965; Co vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-21078, April 29,
1966; and Chua Tak Seng vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-21599, October 29, 1966).

The fact that petitioner-appellee, as found by the court a
quo, was receiving an additional income of P100.00 monthly from his tutorial class, increasing his
total monthly income to P250.00, does not meet the statutory requirement.  (Uy vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-20208, June 30,
1965; Uy vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-20799, November 29, 1965; Sy vs. Republic,
G. R. No. L-19581, April 29, 1966; and Tan Tiu vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-21018,
November 29, 1966).  Indeed even a monthly income of 1,300.00 has been held
insufficient (Sia Faw vs. Republic, G. R. No. L-24782, November 17, 1967).

Wherefore, the decision appealed from is reversed, and
the petition is denied, with costs against petitioner-appellee.

Concepcion, C.J., Reyes, J.B.L., Dizon, Zaldivar, Castro,
Fernando, Capistrano, and Teehankee,
JJ., concur.

Sanchez and Barredo,
JJ., did not take part.