Meaning and Importance of Active and Empowered Citizenship

The primary goal is to examine the meaning and importance of active and empowered citizenship.

General Definition: Citizenship denotes the membership of a citizen in a political society or specific communities.
Conceptual Membership: It is defined as the membership of an individual in a political community while enjoying political and civil rights.
Aristotelian Perspective: Aristotle defines citizenship as a membership of an individual in the assembly who is eligible for jury duty.
The Mutual Relationship of Allegiance and Protection: Citizenship implies a two-way obligation involving:
- Duty of Allegiance: The responsibility of the members to be loyal to the state.
- Duty of Protection: The responsibility of the state to protect its members.

Political citizenship is characterized by three overlapping dimensions involving rights, duties, affiliation, and legal processes:

Rights & Duties (Rule of Law):
- Civil Rights: Pertains to individual liberty.
- Political Rights: Pertains to voting and participation in government.
- Social Rights: Pertains to welfare and education (referenced to Marshall).
- Multicultural Rights: Referenced to Kymlicka.
- Core Duties: These include the payment of taxes, rendering military service, and respecting the liberties of others.
Collective Affiliation (Loyalty):
- This dimension focuses on the unit and its members, drawing from the concept of Democracy (referenced to Rousseau).
Legitimation:
- Involves the acceptance of political processes and the underlying legal framework.

There are two primary methods through which an individual can acquire citizenship: involuntary and voluntary.

1. Involuntary Method (Natural-born):
- Citizenship is acquired by reason of birth. There are two distinct types based on different legal principles:
  - Jus Sanguinis (Blood Relationship): Citizenship is determined by the nationality or citizenship of one or both parents.
  - Jus Soli (Place of Birth): Citizenship is determined by the territory or place where the individual was born.
2. Voluntary Method (Naturalization):
- Naturalization is defined as the act of formally adopting a foreigner into the political body and clothing them with the rights and privileges of a citizen.
- This is achieved through two main avenues:
  - Judicial process.
  - Legislation.

Citizenship can be lost through both voluntary actions and involuntary legal consequences.

1. Voluntary Ways:
- Naturalization in a foreign country: Choosing to become a citizen of another nation.
- Express renunciation of citizenship: Formally giving up one's status as a citizen.
- Supporting foreign governance: Supporting the constitution and laws of a foreign country.
- Foreign military service: Rendering service to the armed forces of a foreign country.
2. Involuntary Ways:
- Cancellation of Naturalization: The court cancels the certificate of naturalization.
- Desertion: Being declared a deserter in the Philippines armed forces during a time of war.

Individuals who have lost their citizenship may reacquire it through the following methods:

Repatriation: Specifically for deserters of the Philippine armed forces.
Direct Act of Congress: A legislative action specifically granting citizenship back to an individual.
Naturalization: Going through the standard naturalization process again.

Definition of a Citizen: A citizen is a member of a democratic community who enjoys full civil and political rights.

Specific Obligations of a Citizen:

Loyalty and Patriotism: Maintaining a sense of loyalty to the country.
Defense of the State: Being prepared to defend the nation.
Contribution to Development: Contributing to the overall development and welfare of the state.
Upholding the Law: Upholding the constitution and maintaining obedience to the laws of the land.
Political Participation: Participating in political processes, specifically through suffrage and participation in the electoral process.