Nonito Donaire and his family taking his Oath of Allegiance as he reacquires his Filipino citizenship. –DFA via SF PCG
MANILA, Philippines — Former four-division champion Nonito Donaire Jr. reacquired his Filipino citizenship on Monday at Romulo Hall of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.
The Filipino Flash, an American citizen whose paternal grandfather was born in Hawaii, became a dual citizen under Republic Act No. 9225 after taking his Oath of Allegiance with his wife Rachel and their two sons.
“I am very proud and whole now that I have my Philippine citizenship. Being Bohol-Born, for years I have tried to get my citizenship but I was always missing a paper,” Donaire told PCG San Francisco.
“With my mom’s help, I was able to complete my package of requirements for me to get my Philippine citizenship here at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco. Aside from being able to give pride to my roots, my citizenship will allow me to stay in the Philippines longer and create change and growth for Filipinos through economical, sociological, l and environmental projects through action.”
(1/2) World boxing champion and “The Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire Jr. became a dual citizen under Republic Act No. 9225 after taking his Oath of Allegiance at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco on 14 August 2023. He was accompanied by his wife Rachel and pic.twitter.com/E8Eg82wEbS
— DFA Philippines 🇵🇭 (@DFAPHL) August 17, 2023
The Donaire family took the oath in front of Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano, Consul Jed Llona, Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil, and Vice Consul Adrian Baccay.
According to the DFA, Donaires’ sons have also become dual citizens as his derivatives.
Donaire and his wife bared their social initiatives in the Philippines, including building typhoon-resilient homes, setting-up sustainable waste management systems, and installing water filtration systems in rural communities.
The 40-year-old boxer last fought on July 29, losing to Alexandro Santiago in 12 rounds by unanimous decision in Nevada.