AN OPEN LETTER TO FILIPINO PARENTS OF SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN IN ATHENS

1 June 2009

Sa mga mahal kong kababayan sa Athens,

As the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines in Greece, it is my duty to provide our countrymen accurate information I may have access to, especially as such information involves their welfare. Not to do so would mean that I am m not doing my duty as your ambassador.

In the past year I have received many inquiries regarding the legitimacy a “Philippine Cultural and Educational Association” (PCEA)  whether it is indeed a school authorized by the Philippine government, the Greek government, or both.

The queries are quite valid and need to be answered, since I had been informed that the students are charged from €100 to €150 a month each, which would total €10,000 a month in income for PCEA.

Our countrymen needed to know the legitimacy of this entity, as indeed, they would be wasting their money if the grades of PCEA are neither recognized by our Department of Education and by the Greek Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs.

I cannot reply to such queries that “I don’t know”, as this would mean dereliction of my duty, for which I can even be charged.  The queries are not different from a query back in Manila if a recruitment agency is legitimate or not.  If the POEA for instance knows that a particular agency is not registered, its failure to tell OFWs that this agency is bogus means dereliction of its duty.

Therefore, I inquired from both our DepEd  and from the Greek  education ministry  (coursed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)  on the status of an entity carrying any of the following names: Philippine Cultural and Educational Academy, Philippine Cultural and Educational Association, and Cultural and Educational Association of Filipinos Residing in Greece.

The replies of the Philippine and Greek ministries of education are the same:   PCEA is not authorized to operate as a school in Greece.

Both the Philippine and Greek authorities noted that only the Katipunan Philippines Cultural Academy (known as the Philippine School in Greece) is recognized both by the Philippine and Greek authorities. I was also informed by the DepEd that no entity going by these names have filed any petition with it for recognition as a school.

The DepEd also specifically noted: “The grades of any student studying in PCEA will not be recognized by the DepEd or any duly authorized school in the Philppines.”

While you are enjoined to seek your own legal advice on this matter, I was also informed that according to Greek law (L.1566/1985, art. 2) primary education (six years of elementary school and 3 years of high school) is mandatory for all children residing in Greece. Foreigners living in Greece are not exempted from this provision.

According to the same law, parents who do not observe this rule will be prosecuted.  The law warns only pupils who attend schools recognized by the Ministry of National Education meet this requirement.

I hope this accurate information would guide your decisions involving the education of your children in Greece.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely yours,

RIGOBERTO TIGLAO

PHILIPPINE AMBASADOR TO GREECE

Would this make up the 200 Fiilipino workers Mr. Valencia claims protested against Tiglao at the Embassy?

The  demonstration  by some 30 people   10 October at the embassy in Athens was actually part of a smear  campaign against me  by Marcos “refugee” Jose Valencia – a professional anti-government agitator — and  the operator of an  unauthorized school for Filipino children ,  so that they can continue fooling  OFWs in Athens, and  bullying the Embassy through black propaganda.

Mr. Jose Valencia in fact has made it a career, and a profession, to use OFWs  to undertake demonstrations against  nearly all Philippine ambassadors in his wish to force  them to recognize him as the sole representative of  OFWs in Athens.  He even undertook  a demonstration against President Fidel Ramos, during his state visit in Athens in 1997, which unfairly portrayed the country as a nation ruled by dictators.

While Mr. Valencia, who led the group, raised ridiculous, totally false issues against me, they couldn’t hide one of its major unscrupulous aims.   One Mrs. Imelda Goutas,  married to a well-off Greek lawyer and her relatives were the most vitriolic during the protest,  even hurling curses against Embassy personnel.  Mrs.Goutas owns and operates the so-called PCEA “school”, which has been operating since 2006 without any permit from both the Philippine and Greek government.   Mrs. Goutas has been lobbying to take me out as ambassador, because she thinks she can pressure a new envoy to recognize PCEA. She refuses to believe that an ambassador has no authority to do so.

Mr. Valencia heads Kasapi Hellas, which unfortunately has degenerated into his own personal gang, which only he commands.  Mr. Valencia has been claiming to Greeks that he represents all Filipinos in Greece, even if his Kasapi has declined to just two dozen members. There is a confederation of Filipino associations in Greece, representing about 10,000 OFWs, with which the Embassy holds monthly meetings.

Mr.Valencia has been able to live in Greece and enjoy European standards of living since 1985 by telling Greek authorities to this day that he is a refugee from the Marcos dictatorship – which ended 24 years ago.  That is a very unpatriotic excuse for insisting to live in comfort in a foreign country, as that portrays our country as still under military dictatorship. He has effectively denounced being a Filipino by refusing to secure a Philippine passport, offered to him by all Philippine ambassadors here.

In contrast to OFWs whom he claims he represents, Valencia has never had a regular job all his life. He cannot explain how he can live in Athens without a job or a business.  It appears therefore that his income in Greece is coming  from membership fees in Kasapi, donations by European NGOs to Kasapi,  earnings from the events like the May ‘Santacruzan’ he organizes, and to his kindergarten school his wife runs.  These funds are not audited by anyone else except the Valencia couple.

Mrs. Goutas threw all her support and resources for Mr. Valencia’s  demo, as only the “recognition” of the school by a new ambassador could reverse the school sharp drop in enrollment in this schoolyear that started last month, as Filipinos here have realized that because it does not have the permits to operate as a school,  their children’s grades will not be recognized in the Philippines nor in Greece.  Mr. Valencia’s kindergarten similarly was determined by authorities in January this year  as not meeting safety requirements. Mr. Valencia however has been exploiting this problem by telling charitable Greeks and organizations,  that the school needs €180,000, and that they should deposit funds into his bank account.

There is only one school for Filipinos in Athens recognized by both Philippine and Greek authorities, the Katipunan Philippines Cultural Academy (Kaphilca) , which President Ramos himself ordered set up in 1997.( Click here for Education Department’s categorical statement  that Mrs. Goutas school, PCEA, is not authorized to operate as a Philippine school.)

Mrs. Goutas’ PCEA has been unable to get the necessary permits since  its poor facilities and personnel could not meet the minimum standards  set by either our Education Department or by the Greek government’s Ministry of Education. Mrs. Thalia Dragona, the official who only recently took the post in charge of foreign schools in the Ministry of Education, in a meeting with me 12 October informed me that the Ministry’s inspectors had recommended that the school be closed in 2008, and that she was surprised that the school is still operating.

Mrs. Goutas is calculating that the school can be made ”legal” if the Philippine ambassador recognizes the school as a legitimate one. However, I have repeatedly told Mrs. Goutas that I cannot do this, as it is our Department of Education and Greece’s Ministry of Education that have this authority.

The ambassador had been resisting her  pressure, especially as parents of the school’s children had been angrily complaining that when they returned to the Philippines, they find that their children’s schooling are not recognized by any Philippine school.

A school can generate a lot of money for its owners if run unscrupulously.   Students of PCEA are charged a minimum of €120 to €170 (roughly P6,000 to P9,000)  per month, so the school’s revenues could reach a minimum of €12,000, for huge net profit for its operators  – if it scrimps on  facilities and pay the teachers  only €700, which is below the required minimum in Greece.

Because they couldn’t stomach any longer the Mrs. Goutas’ questionable  practices, all of the nine teachers who originally made up PCEA’s staff have left it, even if  she  threatened  them that her husband lawyer holds all the documentation for their stay in Greece.

A key officer of PCEA, Mrs. Chari Bataan, left PCEA this year in disgust over the fact that Mrs. Goutas totally disregarded the vote of the parent-teachers’ association for her to replace Mrs. Goutas as PCEA chairman. Another key member, the auditor Mrs. Ida Herico, left the school as she couldn’t stomach Mrs. Goutas’ insistence that she sign PCEA’s financial report, even as she was not given any information on where its income was going to.

(There have been other projects of Mrs. Goutas that are questionable. .  Last year, she conducted a ‘Popularity Contest’ by which the student for each grade who can give the most money to the school will be the winner. The school’s former auditor claimed Mrs. Goutas generated more than €10,000 from this project, but has not reported how the proceeds were disbursed.)

An OFW protester? An amiga of Valencia's wife, has a money-remittance business in Athens, married to a British.

A corrupt lawyer in Manila, which claims to be with DepEd, had told Mrs. Goutas that he would be able to get DepEd recognition of the school, only if the ambassador is taken out of his post. “I can bribe or threaten any ambassador there, except Tiglao,” the DepEd official said.  Mrs. Goutas, according to a former board member of the school, has a two-year contract with this official that  started 2008 for P20,000 a month to secure the DepEd recognition. The contract ends this year, so it is imperative that I be removed.

Other issues raised in Mr. Valencia’s press release (download his press release here):

That the ambassador’s residence has “a swimming pool in a posh village in a suburb of Athens.”

This is a total lie.

There is no swimming pool in the residence. The residence is located five minutes away from the Embassy, the smallest ambassador’s residences in the area. I moved there only to take advantage of the adjacent garden (not a part of the residence, but the landlord’s) for our reception for Independence Day, in order reduce the Embassy’s costs for hotel facilities.  I often drive the embassy car or my motorcycle to skimp on gasoline costs and reduce the car’s rate of depreciation.

“He has been spotted by OFWs touring the fabulous islands of Greece like Corfu.”

I was in Corfu a month ago in order to interview a candidate for a position of Honorary Consul for Corfu.   I have a program to setting up Honorary Consulates all over Greece as this is the most effective way to provide assistance to OFWs in these far-flung areas.

So far, I have succeeded in establishing honorary consulates in Patra, Crete, and soon, Piraeus.  Not only as a person keenly interested in Western civilization,  but as an envoy who should  know his assigned territory, I indeed have visited several islands – but all, except Corfu, on my vacation leave and my expense.

“He has nothing to show in terms of performance after more than 4 years.”

This is a total lie.

Barely six months after I arrived in 2006, I managed to convince the Greek government to set up its Embassy in Manila, an accomplishment which eluded my four predecessors’ efforts for nearly twenty year. It corrected a diplomatically anomalous situation in which our country has an Embassy in Athens, but Greece didn’t in Manila.

The embassy has been a big boon to our OFWs. Before it was set up in Manila, OFWs had to spend a lot to get their visas not only for the plane fare to Jakarta, where Greece had its embassy covering our country. They were victimized the minute they landed in Jakarta by fixers and even taxi-drivers.

How did I manage to do so? By establishing friendships with the Greek officialdom and its elite, which after all still often determine government decisions.  Now Mr. Valencia condemns me for “hobnobbing with social elites.”

Consular services have been improved vastly, with the consular offices open regularly on certain Sundays.  Two major Independence Day celebrations, one a formal one in the evening and one a whole-day fiesta style for the Filipino community.  For many years, the fiesta was held in a basketball court under the searing summer heat. Since I arrived, I managed to convince Greek ship-owners to provide us with huge tents to shade our countrymen. There are regular monthly meetings with the Filipino community, which Mr. Valencia and his organization have totally snubbed.

My performance in fact is an open book,  as I have posted documentation of these in our website www.athenspe.net.

I “snub Filipinos with problems. A case in point is a Filipina who has been detained in the national state penitentiary since March 2010, who has not received even a visit from any of his embassy staff.”

This is a total lie.

My staff as well as the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) has actually been complaining that I have been too “accommodating” in helping all Filipinos with problems. A case in point: We rescued just last month a 22-year old Filipina prostituted in a town (Glyfada) near Athens, after she sent us an SOS through our website (which I set up).  My staff risked their lives in undertaking surveillance work.  We could not publicize this, especially its details, as the girl’s father begged us not to do so as it would be embarrassing to their family.

The Filipina Mr. Valencia is referring to who has been in a national penitentiary since March 2010 is in fact the mother of a locally-hired staff, who is very close to me.  This staff expressly told me that their lawyer expressly requested that she not be helped by the Embassy as “this might complicate matters.”  After the lawyer failed to release her mother, I disregarded my staff’s request, and ordered the Embassyt to throw all out support for his mother. They have visited the lady several times already. It is sensitive, complicated case as the complainants are Filipinas who claim they had been swindled in an illegal recruitment scheme.  The lady though has denied the charges.

That I and the Embassy “did not help 12 Filipino seafarers marooned in their floating prison for almost a year from July 2009 to first quarter of 2010, their salaries unpaid…because of the help of Filipino  migrants led by KASAPI HELLAS the organization of Filipino migrants in Greece.”

This is a total lie.

The case he is referring to is that of Filipino crewman of the ship Aeta Sierra, and the complete account of this case has been posted in our website, particularly at http://www.athenspe.net/?s=Aeta+Sierra.  The Embassy, particularly the Philippine Overseas Labor Office gave all out support for the crew, and even provided a lawyer for a few of the crewman. Mr. Valencia in fact endangered the crewmen’s case when he convinced one crewman to reject the legal services by the International Confederation of Transport Unions, the most powerful federation for seamen in the world. The ICTFU felt insulted and threatened to entirely pull out of the case if not for the POLO’s intervention.  My staff several times visited the ship – docked in the open sea to save costs – to provide foodstuffs and drinks to the crew to check on their situation.

I have not moved “against the proliferation of illegal drugs like shabu from the Philippines that is victimizing mostly innocent young Filipinos.”

This is a total lie.

In fact, it was I who initiated the campaign against illegal drugs among Filipinos in Athens early this year, despite fears expressed by some in the Filipino community that this would  risk even our lives, as the drug-pushers are connected to ruthless, organized crime.  The Filipino community can attest to this as I devoted several meetings with them solely for this purpose, and even an entire issue of our newsletter. I sent a letter to our National Bureau of Investigation asking it to send an official to Athens help embassy deal with the problem. We have determined who the identities of a few of the pushers. Unfortunately we still building up a case, necessary to convince the Greek police to act against these pushers.

I am challenging Mr. Valencia to debate before the Filipino community on these issues before I leave Athens. He did not accept a similar challenge I made in 2006 when he first started criticizing my person and the Embassy. I hope he has the guts to do so now for the sake of truth.

I will answer any questions you might have. Contact me through my email tiglao.inquirer@gmail.com

PUBLISHED IN THE  GOVERNMENT  GAZETTE

OF  THE  HELLENIC  REPUBLIC

Volume  1 , No. 49

24  March  2010

LAW  3838

Updated  provisions  on  the  acquisition  of  Greek  citizenship  and  the  political  participation  of  Greeks  abroad  and  migrants  who  legally  reside  in  Greece. Other  provisions.

CHAPTER  A.

AMENDMENTS  OF  THE  CODE

ON  GREEK  CITIZENSHIP

Article  1

1. Article  1  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship , as  it  was  ratified  by   Law  3284/2004 (government  gazette 217A) is  hereby  amended  as  follows :

Article  1

By  right , by  birth .

1.  The  child  of  a   Greek  national  acquires  Greek  citizenship  by  birth.

2.  Any  person  who  is  born  on  Greek  territory  acquires  Greek  citizenship  provided  that  :

a.  one  of  his/her  parents  is  born  in  Greece  and  resides  permanently  in  the  Country  since  his/her  birth, or

b.  the  person  does  not  acquire  foreign  citizenship  at  birth , nor  can  it  acquire  foreign  citizenship  following  official  statement  of  the  parents  before  the  local  foreign  authorities , if such  statement  is  required  by  the  Law  of  the  parents’ country , or

c.  the  person  is declared of  unknown  origin , as  long  as  the  fact  that  it  is  impossible  to  establish  the eventually  acquired  foreign  citizenship  by  birth  is  not  due  to  the  parent’s  refusal  to  cooperate .

1. Article  1A  is  added  after  Article  1  and  reads  as  follows :

1A. Upon  statement  or  application on  the  grounds  that  he/she was  born  in Greece  or   that  he/she  studies  in  a  school  in  Greece

Article  1A

1.  The  child   of  alien  parents  who  is  born  in  Greece  and  continues  to  reside

in  Greece  and  whose  parents  have  been  both  legally  residing  in  Greece  for  at  least  five  consecutive  years  acquires  Greek  citizenship  by  birth , provided  that  the  parents  submit (by  mutual  consent)  the  relevant  affidavit  and  file  an  application  for  the  registration  of  their  child  to  the  municipal  rolls  of  the  local  municipality  of  their  permanent  residence . In  this  case,  the  child  acquires  citizenship  from  the  date  of   their affidavit.  If  the  child  was  born  before  the completion  of  the  5-year  legal  stay of  both  parents  in  Greece, the  joint  affidavit  as  well  as  the  application  for  the  child’s  registration  shall  be  submitted  upon  the  completion  of  the  5-year  legal  stay  of  the  second  parent . The  child  acquires  Greek  citizenship upon  submission  of  their  affidavit.

2.  The  child  of  alien  parents  who  has  successfully  completed  at  least  6  grades  of  a  Greek  school  in  Greece  and  resides  legally  and  permanently  in  Greece  acquires  Greek  citizenship  upon  completion  of  the  6^th grade .The  child’s  parents should  file  a  joint  affidavit  and  an  application  for  their  child’s  registration to  the  municipal  rolls  of  the  municipality  of  their  permanent  residence. The  child  will  acquire  citizenship  within  a  period  of  three  years.  In  case  of  subsequent  submission  of  the  affidavit  and  the  application  and  until  the  child  becomes  of  legal  age , citizenship  shall  be  acquired  upon  submission  of  the  relevant  affidavit  and  application .

3.  Greek  citizenship  may  be  acquired  by  children  of  alien  parents  upon  affidavit of  the  parents , in  accordance  with  the  preceding  paragraphs , only  if  both  parents   have  been  residing  legally  in  Greece  and  are  holders  of  a valid   official  document  proving  their  legal  stay.

4.   In  case  the  child  has  only  one  parent  or  in   case  the  child’s  parents  have  acquired  the  refugee  status ,  the  parent  or  the  person  who  is  assigned  the  custody  of  the  child  may  apply  for  the  child’s  citizenship , in  conformity  with  the  preceding  paragraphs ( provided  that  the  provisions  of  the  preceding  paragraphs  are  also  met).  In  case  of  unaccompanied  children  who  avail  of  the  status  of  international  protection ,  the  affidavit  and  application  shall  be  submitted  by  the  commissioner  or  the  child’s  representative , who  must  have  been  appointed  in  conformity  with  paragraph  1 , article  30  of  Presidential  Decree  No.  906 / 2008  ( Government  Gazette  No.  152A’)

5.  Prior  to  the  registration  in  the  municipal  rolls , the  municipality  forwards  copies  of  the  supporting  documents  to  the  relevant  issuing  authorities , so  as  to  confirm  their  accuracy . Within  15  days  from  receipt  of  such  confirmation , the  municipality  forwards the  application  and  the  supporting  documents to  the  competent  authorities  of  the  local  Regional  Directorate .

Within  two  months  from  receipt  of  the  file  , the  Secretary  General  of  the  Regional  Directorate  issues  an  order  for  the  local  municipality  to  register  the  child  in  its  Municipal  Rolls.  Said  order  is  published  in  the  Government  Gazette.  The  child’s  registration  in  the  Municipal  Rolls  takes  place  within  6  months  from  the  submission  of  both , the  affidavit  and  the  application.

6.   In  case  the  parents failed  to  submit  the joint affidavit  and  application  until  the  child  reached  the  legal  age ,  the  child  is  entitled  to personally  submit  said  affidavit  and   application  at  the  local  municipality  of  his/her legal  permanent  residence , provided  that he/she  is  a  holder  of  valid   documents.  The  child  avails  of  this  right  within  the  exclusive   period  of  3  years  from  completion of  the age  of  18.  The  application  can  be  rejected  if  there  is  penal  impediment  or  on  the  grounds  of  national  security . The  competent  authorities  will  check  the  existence  of  any  negative  record  of  the  child  within  a  deadline  of  6  months at  the  maximum. The  above-mentioned  procedure  and  deadlines  may  be  suspended  in  accordance  with  the  provision  of  paragraph  4  of  article  31 . The  decision  of  the  Secretary  General  of  the  Regional  Directorate  is  being  issued  within  a  year  from  submission  of  the  affidavit  and  application .  In  this  case , Greek  citizenship  is  being  acquired  from  the  time  of  submission  of  the  affidavit  and  application .

7.   In  accordance  with  the  definition  provided  for  by  the  present  Law ,  certifications  of  submission  of  supporting  documents  or  other  documents  allowing  the  holder  to  temporarily  stay  in  Greece  until  examination  of  his/her application  by  the  competent  administrative  or  judicial  authorities or   awaiting  administrative  decision ,  are  not  considered  documents  establishing  legal  residence  in  the  country . The  law  stipulates  that  there  is  a competent  authority  which   is  in  charge  of  examining  the  validity  of  the  permanent  residence  permit  of  the  parents  and  child , when  the  affidavit  and  application  are  submitted  when  the  child  is already  of  legal  age.

8.   Upon  submission  of   the  affidavit  and  the  application  for  the  child’s  registration  in  the  Municipal  Rolls , a  fee  of  100.00 E  (one hundred Euro)  should  be  paid  to  the local  municipality .

Article  2

Article  5  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship  is  being  amended  as  follows :

“ Article 5 ”

Requirements  for  naturalization .

1.  An  alien  who  wishes  to  become  Greek  citizen  through  naturalization  should meet  the  following  requirements :

1. He/She  should  be  of  legal  age  at  the  time  of  submission  of  the  application  for  naturalization.
2. He/She  should  not  be  irrevocably  sentenced  for  an  offence  committed  intentionally  for  the  decade  which  precedes  the  date  of  submission  of  the   application  for  naturalization , nor  he/she  should  be  deprived  of  his/her  freedom  by  court  decision for  one  year  or  even  for  6  months , regardless  of  the  time  the  sentence  was  pronounced , nor he/she  should  be  sentenced  for  crimes  against  the  country’s  regime , treason , manslaughter , severe  physical  injuries , crimes  in  connection  with  smuggling  of  drugs , money  laundering , international  economic  crimes , crimes  in  connection  with  the  use  of  high  technology  equipment , crimes  in  connection  with  child  trafficking  , child  prostitution  and  child  pornography ( Law  3625/2007 , Government  Gazette  290A’ ) , crimes  in  connection  with  affiliation  or  creation  of  a  criminal  organization (article 187 and  187A  of  the  Penal  Code ) , resistance  against  the  authorities , kidnapping , molestation , sexual  harassment , economic  exploitation  of human  lives , theft , hold-up , fraud , blackmailing , usury , forgery , false  declaration , possession  of  fake  documents , calumny , smuggling  of  weapons , smuggling  of antiquities , human trafficking , facilitating  the illegal  entry , or  transportation  of  undocumented  aliens  in  Greece  or  providing  shelter  to  them.
3. He/She  should  not  be  due  for  deportation nor  should  he/she  be  in  pending  legal  status  in  Greece.
4. He/She  should  be  legally  residing  in  Greece  for  seven (7)  consecutive  years  preceding  the  submission  of  application  for  naturalization . The  period  of  legal  stay  cannot  include  the  period  of  time  that an  alien  was  assigned  in  Greece  as  administrative  or  diplomatic  staff  of  a  foreign  mission . Those  who  are  citizens  of  an  EU  member-state , the  spouses  of Greek  nationals  who  have  a  child , those  who  have  the  custody  of  a  child  of  Greek  citizenship ( as  long  as  it  was  not  acquired  as  stipulated  by  article  1A  paragraph 2 ) , those  who  are  officially  recognized  as  political  refugees  and  non-native  people  may  apply  for  naturalization  provided  that  they  have  been  legally  residing  in  Greece  for  at  least  three (3)  consecutive  years.  As  far  as  spouses  of  Greek  diplomats  are  concerned , the  period  of  time  that  they  have  resided  abroad  due  to   their  Greek  spouse’s  assignment  counts  as  well in  the  required  time  for  naturalization , provided  that  they  have  completed –any  time -  one (1)  year  of  residence  in  Greece.

For  aliens  of Greek  descent   and  those  who  are  born  and  continuously  reside  in  Greece , the  7  year  requirement  does  not  apply.

e.    He/She   should  be  holder  of  one  of  the  following  documents  of  legal

residence :

aa)    Long term  residence  permit  , in conformity  with  the  provisions

of  Presidential  Decree  No. 150/2006 (Government  Gazette  No. 160A),

ab) Certification  or  any  other  type  of  residence  permit  which  is  being

issued   to  citizens  of   EU  member-states ,  in  accordance   with  the

provisions of  Presidential  Decree  No. 160 / 2007 (Government  Gazette

No. 135A).

ac) Residence  Card  or  any  other  residence  document  which  is  being

issued  to  family  members  of  a  Greek  citizen  or  to  a  citizen  of  an

EU    member-state   or   to   the   parents  of   a  minor  native ,   in

compliance  with  the  provisions  of  articles  61, 63  and  94  of  Law

3386 / 2005 ,

ad) Card  of  recognized  political  refugee or status  of  auxiliary  protection

or  family  members  of  holders  of  such  cards , including  cards  which

were  issued  in  accordance  with  Presidential  Decrees  No. 61/1999

( Government  Gazette No. 63A) , No. 90/2008 ( Government  Gazette

No. 138A) , No. 96/2008(Government Gazette  No. 152A) , No. 167/2008

(Government   Gazette   No.  223A )  and   No.  81/2009  ( Government

Gazette  No. 99A)

ae) Travel  documents  or  special  cards  which  have  been  issued  by  a

national  (Greek) authority , in  conformity  with  the  provisions  of  the

New  York  International Convention  on  the  status  of  non-natives ,

which  was  ratified  by  Law  139/1975 (Government  Gazette No. 176A)

af)  Card  or  any  other  type  of  residence  document  issued  to  Greeks

from  abroad , with  the  exception  of  the  Special  Identification  Card

of  Greeks  from  abroad.

2.   Residence  permits  or  cards  of  legal  residence  quoted  in  paragraph e

may  be  amended , replaced  or  abolished by  Presidential  Decree .

Article  3

Articles  5A  and  5B  will  be  added  to  Article  5  of  the  Code  of  Greek  Citizenship  to  read  as  follows :

Article  5A

Substantial  Requirements  for  Naturalization

1.  An  alien  who  wishes  to  become  Greek  citizen  through  naturalization  should   meet  the  following  requirements , in addition  to  those  stipulated  by  the  previous  article :

1. He/She  should  have  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  Greek  language , so  as  to  be  able  to  perform  the  duties  and  obligations  resulting  from his  capacity  as  Greek  citizen.
2. He/She  should  be  smoothly   integrated in  the  country’s  economic  and  social  life.  The  following  factors  will  be  mainly  considered  so  as  to  establish  the  alien’s  integration  into  the  Greek  society : the  knowledge

of  Greek  history  and  Greek  civilization , the  applicant’s  professional  life

and   economic  activities  in general , his/her  eventual  public  or social

welfare   activities , his/her  eventual  enrolment  in  Greek  educational

agencies , his/her  participation  in  the  organization  of  social  events  or

associations  , in  which  many  of  the  members  are  Greek  citizens , his/her

eventual  kinship  by  affinity  with  a  Greek  citizen , the  regular  payment of

his/her  taxes  and   social  security  premiums , the  possession  of   property

and  his/her  financial  status  in  general.

1. He/She  should  be  able  to  participate  actively  and  substantially  to  the

country’s  political  life  as  well  as  to  respect  its  fundamental  principles.

The  following  facts  will  be  taken  into  consideration  for  a  person’s

Participation  in  the  country’s  political  life :  the  sufficient  knowledge of

the  Constitutional  regime  of  the  Hellenic  Republic , the  knowledge  of

the  Greek  political  history , specially  modern  Greek  history.  In  order  to

adopt  the  Greek  political  identity , the  interested  party should  be  actively

participating  in political  unions  or  associations , where  Greek  citizens  are

participating  as  well.  Earlier  participation  in  the  elections  of  the  local  government will  also  be  considered.

2.   In   accordance   with   article   12 ,  a  Naturalization   Committee   will  be

formed  so  as  to  examine  if  the  applicant  meets  the  requirements  of the

previous   paragraph.

1. The  Naturalization  Committee  reserves  the  right  to  organize  special

exams/test  so  as  to  establish  the  substantial  prerequisites stipulated  by

paragraph  1.  The  specifications  of  the  special  test  and  its  content will

be   decided   upon   by   joint   Decision  of   the   Minister  of   Interior ,

e-Governance   and   Decentralization   and   the   Minister  of  Education,

Long Life  Learning  and  Religions.

Article  5B

Security  reasons

The  alien  who  wishes  to  become  Greek  citizen  should  not  be  considered

a  threat  to  public  order  and  national  security. The  Ministry  of  Citizens’

Protection  is  the  competent  authority  to  provide  such  information  about

the  alien .

Article  4

Article  6  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship  is  being  replaced  as  follows:

Article  6

Requirements  for  naturalization

1. The  alien  who  wishes  to  be  naturalized  has  to  submit  an  affidavit  at  the  municipality  of  his/her  permanent  residence  as  well  as  an  application

for  naturalization  at  the  Regional  Directorate  of  his/her  local municipality.

2.  The   affidavit   for   naturalization   will   be   executed   before   the  Mayor ,

in the  presence  of  two  Greek  citizens  who will  act  as  witnesses.  The

affidavit  will  be  logged  in  a  book  and  a  copy  will  be  furnished  to  the

interested   party.  Printed   material  on  the  requirements  for  naturalization

will  also  be  given  to  the  applicant.

3.   The  application  for  naturalization  is  addressed  to  the  Minister  of  Interior,

Decentralization   and   e-Governance   and   will   include   the   following

documents :

1. Copy  of  the  affidavit  for  naturalization .
2. Copy  of  the  passport , travel  document  or  other  identity  document.
3. A  valid  document  of  legal  residence , as  provided  for  by  paragraph

e  of  Article  5  of  the  present  Law.

d.  Birth  certificate  or  any  equivalent  document  issued  in  accordance

with   the  alien’s  national  state   legislation .  If   the  alien  avails  of

international  protection  in  his/her  capacity  as  political  refugee  or  is

under  the  status  of  auxiliary  protection  or  he/she  is  non-native  ,

therefore  he/she  cannot  provide  a  birth  certificate , the  recognition

of  political  refugee , or  the  document  proving  his  status  of auxiliary

protection  or  his/her  non-native  card  should  be  submitted.  If  the alien

was  born  in  Greece , his/her  birth  certificate  will  be  accepted  by  the

authorities.  If  the  alien  cannot  avail  of  a  passport , as  stipulated  by

paragraph  1 , section c  of  article  84  of  the  Law  3386/2005 , his/her

legal  residence  permit (which  is  applicable  in  such  cases )  will  be

accepted.

e.  Copy  of  payment  of  taxes  or  income  tax  return  declaration  of  the

last  financial  year .

f.  Copy  of  his/her  Registration  Number  in a  Social  Security  Foundation

( AMKA in  Greek).

1. Payment  of  700 E  (seven  hundred euro)  application  fee .  In  case  the

alien   has  to  re-apply , application  fee  is  200 E  (two hundred euro) .

Greeks  from  abroad , citizens  of  other  EU  member-states , recognized

political  refugees  and  non-natives  pay  an  application  fee  of  100 E

(one  hundred  euro )  every  time  they  apply.

Article  5

Article  7  of  the  Code  on  Greek  citizenship  is  hereby  replaced  as

follows :

Article  7

Naturalization  procedure

1. The  Regional  Directorate  examines  if  the  applicant’s file  is  complete

and  if  he  meets  the  requirements  of  article  5 . The  Secretary  General

of  the  Regional  Directorate  rejects  the  application  if  the  applicant

does  not  meet  the  requirements.

1. If  the  applicant  meets  the  requirements  of  article  5  of  this  Law, the

Regional  Directorate  requests  the  competent  authorities  to  issue  a

Police  clearance  certificate  and  a  certification  of  non  deportation

order . It  also  requests  the  Ministry  of  Citizens’  Protection  if  the

applicant  is  considered  a  threat  to  public  order  and  national  security.

The  security  Police  authorities  are  bound  to  reply  within  a  deadline

of  four  months .However , they  can  also  forward  directly  their  report

to  the  Minister  of  Interior , Decentralization  and  e-Governance  at  any

stage  of  the  procedure . If  the  security  police  fails  to  reply  on  time ,

this  does  not consider  an  impediment  for  the  Minister  to  issue  a

Decision.

1. If  no  action  has  been  taken  within  the  above-mentioned  prescribed

period , the  application  for  naturalization  will  be  examined  by  the

Naturalization   Committee .  Concurrently ,  the  Regional  Directorate

calls   the  alien  for  an  interview  on  a  specific  date  and  time .  On

the  date  of    the   interview ,  the  alien   has   to  submit   to   the

Naturalization  Committe  any  documents  providing  evidence  that he/

she  has  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  Greek  language  as  well  as  any

other  data  pertaining  to  the  requirements  for  his/her  naturalization.

1. The  alien’s  summons  to  appear  for  an  interview  before  the  competent

authorities   will   be   made  against   written   receipt .  His/her  failure  to

appear  can  only  be  accepted  in  case  of  objectively  justified incapacity

of  appearance . In  case  his/her  failure  to  appear is  not  justified , the

application  for  naturalization  will  be  rejected  by  the  Minister .

1. The  Committee  reserves  the  right to  ask  the  applicant  to  undergo  a

special  test , in  conformity  with  a  joint  Ministerial  Decision (paragraph

3 ,article 5A ).

1. The  Naturalization  Committee  drafts  a  detailed  report on  the  questions

made  to  the  applicants  who  were  interviewed  and  their  answers. Said

report  is  then  forwarded  to  the  Ministry  of   Interior , Decentralization

and  e-governance  together  with  the  Committee’s  recommendation and

the  applicant’s  complete  file . Notification  of  the  report  will  be  sent

to  the applicant  who  reserves  the  right  to  submit  any  objections  in

writing , within  a  deadline  of  fifteen  days to  the  Citizenship  Council.  Facts  concerning  issues of  public  order  or  national  security  will  not  be  notified  to the applicant.

1. In  case  of  doubt on  the  contents  of  the  Committee’s  recommendations,

the  Minister  of  Interior  may  forward  the  case  to  the  Citizenship Council ( article  28).

1. Aliens  of  Greek  origin  who  are  holders  of  alien’s residence permit  of

Greek  origin  do  not  need  to  undergo  interview before  the Naturalization  Committee.  The  Minister  of  Interior , Decentralization and  e-Governance  makes  his  own  decision  without  prior  recommendation  by  the  Committee , except  for  special  cases. The  file

will  be  forwarded  to  the  Committee  for  its  recommendation  only  in

case  of  doubt  on  whether   the  interested  party  meets  the  substantial

requirements  for  naturalization  or  not.

Article  6

Article  8  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship  will  be  replaced  as  follows :

Article  8

Decision  on  naturalization – Justification

1. Naturalization  takes  place  upon  decision  of  the  Minister  of  Interior, Decentralization  and  e-Governance , which  is  being  published  in  the  Government  Gazette .
2. The  decision  on  such  application  for  naturalization  will be  taken  in

conformity  with  the  provisions  of  the  Code  on  Administrative  Procedure .

1. The  submission  of  a  new  application  for  naturalization  is  allowed

one  year  after  the  rejection  of  the  previous  application.

Article  7

Article  9  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship , as  ratified  by  Law 3284/

2004    shall  include  one  more  paragraph (paragraph 4) :

1. The  oath  to  the  present  article  will be  taken  as  well  by  the  person  who  acquires  Greek  citizenship  by  affidavit  once  he/she becomes  of  legal  age , in accordance  with  Article 1A  of  the present Code , within  one  year  from  execution  of  said  affidavit.

Article  8

Article  12  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship  is  being  replaced  as  follows :

Article  12

Naturalization  Committee

1. There  will  be  one  Naturalization  Committee  for  each  Region  and  it  will  be  composed  of  the  following  persons :
   1. The  Head  of  the  local  General  Regional  Directorate who  will  be  the  Chairman
   2. One  member  of  the  local  Higher  Education  Establishments, preferably  from  the  areas  of  sociology , psychology  or similar  faculties.   The  member  and  deputy  member  will  be

appointed  by  the  Administration  of  the  local  Higher Education  Establishment.

1. One  officer  from  the  Direction  of  Citizenship  of  the Ministry  of  Interior , Decentralization  and  e-Governance.

Effective  01  January  2011 , his  position  will  be  filled  by  a

representative  of  the  secondary  self-government  authority of

the  region  in  which  it  is  located  the  municipality  where  the

application  for  naturalization  was  filed.  The  same  applies  to

the  acting representative .

1. The  Head  of  the  Regional  Direction ,  and
2. A  member  and  a  deputy member  who  will  be  appointed  by

the  National  Committee  on  Human  Rights.

2.       The   Naturalization   Committee   is   formed   upon   Decision   of

the   Secretary  General   of  the  Region.  The  Secretary  General

appoints  as well  the  Deputy  Chairman  and  the  Committee’s

Deputy   members .   An  administrative  staff   of   the  Regional

Direction  and  his  deputy  will  be  appointed   as  Secretaries . The

person  who  handles  the  case  participates  in  the  Committee , but

he  does  not  have  the  right  to  vote .

3.       The  term  of  the  members  of  the  Naturalization  Committee  is

two  years.

4.         The  emoluments  of  the  Committee’s  members  will  be  decided

upon    by    the   Minister  of   Interior ,  Decentralization  and   e-

Governance.

Article  9

Article  19  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship  is  being  replaced  as  follows :

IV. Loss  of  Greek  Citizenship

which  was  acquired  by  children   of  aliens

by  means  of  affidavit  or  naturalization  of   their parents.

Article  19

1. Children  of  alien  parents  who  acquired  Greek  citizenship  while  they  were  minor  by  joint  affidavit  of  their  parents (provisions  of paragraphs  1  and  2  of  article  1A ) or by  naturalization  of  one  of  their  parents , in  accordance  with  article  11 , they  may  renounce  Greek  citizenship  by  submitting  an  application  and  affidavit  to  the  municipality  in  which   they  are  enrolled , or   if   they  reside  abroad ,  they

may  apply  to  the  Greek  Consular  authority  of  the  place  of  their  permanent  residence , within  a  deadline  of  one  year from the  date  he/she  became  of  legal  age. Copy  of the  affidavit  and  application  is  forwarded  to  the  Regional  Directorate  as  well  as  to  the  Ministry  of  Interior , Decentralization  and  e-Governance .

1. Within  a  month   from   receipt   of   the   relevant   file ,   the

Secretary   General   of   the   Regional   Directorate   issues  a

Decision  accepting  the  application  to  renounce  citizenship.

The   Decision   is   being   published   in   the  Government

Gazette.

Article  10

Paragraphs  3  and  4  will  be  added  to  Article  25  of  the  Code  on

Greek  Citizenship , to  read  as  follows :

3.  Citizenship  Directions may  be  established  in  any  Region by Presidental

Decree. Said  Decree  makes  provisions  as  well  for  their  head-offices ,

their  structure , the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the  staff , the number

of  staff  and  their  qualifications.

In  particular , for  the  Region  of  Attica , there  could  be  three Directions

while  for  the  Region  of  Central  Macedonia  only  two.

4.  Every  year , Regional  Directorates  send   to  the  Ministry  of  Interior ,

Decentralization  and  e-Governance  statistics on  the  acquisition  or  loss

of  citizenship .Said  statistics  must  be  compiled  until  the  end  of March

of  the  following  year  and  are  being  published  in  the  Ministry ‘s  web-

site . The  data  include  the  following :

1. date  of  birth
2. sex
3. civil  status
4. residence
5. duration  of  stay  in  Greece
6. legal  grounds  of  acquisition
7. previous  citizenship

Article  11

Article  28  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship  is  hereby  replaced  as  follows :

Article  28

Citizenship  Council

1. The  Citizenship  Council

a.   decides on :

aa) appeals  submitted  by  alien  applicants against  the  recommendations of the

Naturalization  Committee , or

ab) cases  which  are  referred  to  the  Council  by  the  Minister

b.  acts as  advisory  Council  on  citizenship  cases , in  conformity with the Law.

2.    The  Citizenship  Council  is  formed  upon  decision  of  the  Minister  of

Interior,  Decentralization   and   e-Governance   and  is  composed  of   the

following  members :

1. An  honorary  member  of  the  State  Council , who  acts  as  Chairman ,
2. The  Secretary  General  of  Migration  Policy  of  the  Ministry  of  Interior,

Decentralization  and  e-Governance ,

1. A  legal  adviser  of  the  Government
2. A  professor  or  assistant  professor  specialized  in  Private  International

Law  as  well  as  a  professor  or  assistant  professor  specialized in Public

International  Law  or  in  Constitutional  Law , from  one  of  the  country’s

Higher  Education  establishments

1. The  Head  of  the  Direction  of  Citizenship  of  the  Ministry  of  Interior ,

Decentralization  and  e-Governance .

The  members  of  the  Council  who  are  absent  or  cannot  attend  shall  be

replaced  by  their  legal  deputies.

3.  The  Head  of  the  competent  office  of  the  Direction  of  Citizenship  of

the  Ministry  of  Interior  participates  as  adviser but  he  does  not  have

the  right  to  vote.

4.   The  Citizenship  Council  operates  in  conformity with  the  provisions  of

Articles  13-15  of  Law  2690/1999 (Government  Gazette No. 45A).

Article  12

Article  31  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship  is  hereby  replaced  as follows:

Article  31

Deadlines

1. For  the  naturalization , the  following  deadlines  are  set  by  the Law  from  the  date  of  submission  of  the  application :

1. The  deadline  from  the  date  of  submission  of  the  application  for  naturalization  until  the  date  of  the  interview  is  six (6) months.  Within  this  period  of  time ,  the  competent  office  of  the  Regional  Directorate  is  obliged  to  obtain  the  supporting  documents  from  the  other  authorities  as  well  as  to  secure  a  report  by  the  security  services  of  the

Ministry  of  Citizen’s  Protection.  If  the  application  is  not  complete , the

deadline  takes  effect  from  the  time  the  file  is  completed  or  from  the

time  that  the  alien  submits  another  application  with  a  complete  file. Any  delay  in  obtaining  the  supporting  documents  from  other  authorities

does  not  affect  the  processing  of  the  alien’s  file.

1. The  deadline  of  submission  of  the  Naturalization’s  Committee’s  report/

recommendation  to  the  Ministry  of  Interior  is  four (4)  months  after  the

interview.

1. The   deadline   for   the   issuance  of   the   Minister’s  decision   and   its

publication  in  the  Government  Gazette  is two (2) months.

1. The  deadline  for  the  case  of  citizenship  is  eighteen (18) months  from

the  date  of  application  until  the  issuance  of  the  decision.

3.   In  case  the  documents  cannot  be  processed within  the  above-mentioned

deadlines , the  competent  authority  notifies  the  interested  party  in writing

about  the  reasons  of  the  delay.  The  same  document  is   forwarded  to the

Minister  of  Interior , Decentralization  and  e-Governance , who  can  order

the  immediate processing  of  the  file so  as  to  meet  the  deadline  set  by

the  Law.

4.   The   above-mentioned   deadlines  as  well  as   the  whole  procedure  of

naturalization  may  be  suspended  in  case  of  pending  court  hearings or

court  decisions  which  deprive  the  alien  of  his  freedom  for  one  year  or

for   criminal   offences .   Such   cases   constitute   an   impediment   for

naturalization . The  applicant’s  appeal  before  the  Citizenship  Council or

the  Minister’s  decision to  forward  an  application  to  the  Citizenship

Council  may  also  be  grounds  for  suspending  the  case.

Article  13

Article  32  of  the  Code  on  Greek  Citizenship , as  it  was  ratified  by  Law

3284/2004  and  is  still  into  effect , will  include  one  more  paragraph :

(paragraph 3)

1. The  supporting  documents  which  are  submitted  together  with  the  affidavit  and  application  for  registration  in  the  municipal  rolls (provided  for  by  article  1A  of  this  Code)  will  be  decided  upon  by  the  Minister  of  Interior , Decentralization  and  e-Governance.

CHAPTER  B.

Participation  of  aliens  of  Greek  descent  and  legally-residing  migrants

in  the  elections  of  the First  Degree  Local  Self –Administration

Article  14

The  right  to  vote

Aliens  of  Greek  descent  and  aliens  from  third  countries  may  participate  in the  elections  of  the  First  Degree  Local  Self-Administration  with  the  right  to  vote  provided  that :

1. They  have  reached  the  age  of  eighteen.
2. They  have  not  been  sentenced  for  a  crime  or  for  an  offence  which  deprives  them ( even  if  they  were  Greek  nationals )  of  their  political  rights (article  59  and  60  of  the  Penal  Code ).
3. They  should  be  under  one  of  the  following  categories  of  legally  residing  aliens :

1. Holders  of  Special  Card  of  Alien  of  Greek  descent  or  family  members  of  holders  of  such card , provided  that  they  have  completed  5  years  of  consecutive  legal  stay  in  Greece
2. Holders  of  Residence  Permit  of  Indefinite  Duration  or  10-year  Residence  Permit , in  conformity  with  the provisions  of  Law  2910/2001 (Government Gazette  91A)   and  paragraph  2  of  article 91  of  Law  3386/2005
3. Aliens  who  avail  of  the  status  of  Long  Term  Residents , in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Presidential  Decree  No. 150/2006 (Government  Gazette 160A)  or  paragraph  7  of  article  40 of  Law  3731/2008  (Government  Gazette  No. 263A) .
4. Holders  of   “ Permanent  Residence  Permits ” , in  their  capacity  as family  members  of  a  Greek  citizen  or  a  citizen  of  an  EU  member-state   in  conformity  with  the  provisions  of  article  63  of Law  3386/2005  and  article  17  of  Presidential  Decree  No. 106/2007 (Government  Gazette  135A)  or  those  who  are  holders  of  Residence  Permits  in  their  capacity  as  family  members  of  a  Greek  citizen  or  a  citizen  of  an  EU  member-state  and  has  been  legally  residing  in  our  country  for  five (5) consecutive  years
5. If  they  are  parents  of  minor  Greek  children  and  have  been  legally  residing  in  Greece  for  five  consecutive  years
6. If  they  have  been  recognized  as  political  refugees  or  if  they  avail  of  the  status  of  auxiliary  protection  or  protection  for  humanitarian  reasons , including  their  family  members , and  they  have  completed  five  consecutive  years  of  legal  residence  in  our country ( Presidential  Decrees  No. 61/1999 , 90/2008 , 96/2008 , 167/2008  and  81/2009)
7. If  they  are  holders  of  travel  documents  or  special  Card  issued  by  a  Greek  authority  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  New  York  International  Convention  concerning  the  status  of  non-natives  and  provided  that  they  have  been  legally  residing  in  the country  for  five (5)  consecutive  years  from  the  date  of  issuance  of  such  documents.
8. If  they  are  holders  of  Alien’s  Residence  Permit  of  Greek  descent and  they  have  completed  five (5)  consecutive  years  of  legal  stay  from  the  date  of  issuance of such   permit.

Article  15

Application  for  enrolment  in  special  voting  registers

1. The  persons  who  are  under  the  above-mentioned  categories  and

wish  to  vote  they  should  file  an  application  for  their  enrolment in

a   special   voting   register   of   the   municipality   in   which   they

submitted their  application  for  residence  permit , provided  that  they

permanently  reside  there . The  persons  who  are  under  the category

3a, 3f, 3g   and  3e   of    the   previous   article   should   submit   their

application   for  enrolment   in   the  special   voting   register  of  the

municipality  in  which  they  have  been  residing  for  the  last  two

years.

1. The   persons   who   are   entitled   for  enrolment   in  special  voting

registers  but  have  transferred  to  another  municipality ( meaning   other  than  the  municipality  which  issued  the residence  permit ,they

may  enroll  in  the  voting  register  of  the  municipality  in  which  they  have  been  residing  for  the  last  two  years.

1. Applications  for  enrolment  in  the  special  voting  register  should

be  filed  together  with  the  following  supporting  documents :

1. Certified  true  copy  of  the  valid  residence  permit .  The  person

cannot  apply  if  he  is  a  holder  of  certification  of  submission  of

supporting   documents  for  the  issuance  or  renewal  of   residence

permit .

b.   Certified  true  copy  of  a  valid  passport , with  the  exception  of

those  who  objectively  do  not  hold  a  passport , as  stipulated  in

paragraph  1 , section c  of  article  84  of  the Law  3386/2005  and

paragraph  3 f, g  and  h  of  article  14.

c.   The  supporting  documents providing  evidence  that  a  person  has

been  residing  in  the  municipality  for  the  last  two  years  will be

required  only  in  cases  provided  for  by  the  present  Law.  In

general , the  supporting  documents  providing  evidence  about  a

person’s  residence  are  the  same  as  those  which  are  applicable

to  Greek  citizens  ( article  15 , paragraph 7  of  Municipal  Code).

d.   Certificate  of  police  clearance.

Article  16

How  to  exercise  the  right  to  vote

1. The  right  to  vote  will  be  exercised  exclusively  by  those  who  are  enrolled  in  the  special  voting  registers  of  the  municipality . At  the  time  of  voting , they  should  be  holders  of  one  of  the  valid

Residence  permits  quoted  in  Article  14  of  the  present  Law.

1. Those   who   are  enrolled   in   the   special   voting   registers   will

exercise   their   right  to  vote  together  with  all  other  citizens   in

specific   polling  stations .

3.    The  identification  of  the  persons  will  be  made  on  the  basis  of

their  valid  residence  permit  and  their  valid  passport (if  required).

Article   17

The  right  to  be  elected

1. People  who  have  the  right  to  vote  and  are  enrolled  in  the   special  voting  registers  of  Article  15  and  have  completed  the  age  of  21  at  the  time  of  the  elections ,  they  may  be  elected  as  municipal  councilors  or  local  councilors , provided   that  they  have

sufficient  knowledge  of  the  Greek  language  so  as  to  be  able  to

perform  their  duties  and  they  meet  the  requirements  of  paragraph

1  of  article  34 of  the  Municipal  Code ( Law 3463/2006 Government  Gazette  No. 114A ).

2.   The  restrictions  concerning  the  assignment  of government positions

stipulated   by  article  3 ,  paragraph   11  of   Presidential   Decree No.

133/1997 ,  as   it  was  amended  by   Presidential   Decree  No.  164 /

1997 , and Presidential  Decrees  No. 320/1999 and  130/2002  are also

applicable  to  the  persons  quoted  in  the  previous  paragraph.

3.   The   persons  of  paragraph  1 will  be  acknowledged  as  candidates

by  the  competent  Court , as  long  as they  have  a  valid  residence

permit  and  a  valid  passport , with  the  exception  of  persons quoted

in  paragraph  3b  of  article  15  of  the  present  Law.

4.   Upon  submission  of  the  candidacy , each  candidate  should  submit

as  well the  following  documents :

1. Official   declaration  stating   his/her   citizenship   and   permanent

address  in  Greece, official  declaration  that  he/she  has  sufficient

knowledge  of  the  Greek  language  so  as  to  perform  his/her  duties

in  case  he/she  is  elected  and  statement  that he/she  is  not  a

candidate   in   another   municipality   in   Greece , nor   he   is   a

candidate  of  another  political  party  in  the  same  municipality.

b.   Certification  of  enrolment  in  the  special  voting  register  of  the

municipality  in  which  he/she  is  a  candidate.

c.   Certified  true  copy  of  a  valid  residence  permit .  In  this  case ,

the  certification  for  submission  of  documents  for  the  renewal

of  the  expired  permit  is  considered  valid.

d.   Certified  true  copy  of  the  passport , with  the  exception  of  the

cases  quoted  in  paragraph  3b  of  article  15  of  the  present Law.

Article  18

Drafting  special   voting  registers

1. Voters  of  article  14  of  this  Law  will  be  included  in  special

voting  registers which  will be drafted  per  municipality  or electoral

district .  Voting  registers  will  include  the  following  data : sex,

surname , first name , other  names , father’s name , mother’s name,

name  of  spouse  and  maiden  name  of  spouse , date  and  place of

birth , residence  address  in  Greece ( street , no , district , community,

municipality ) citizenship , passport no (if  required) , valid residence

permit  no  and  special  voting  register no. The  full  name  of  said

voters  should  be  either  in  Greek  or  in  English  letters , so  as  to

read  the  same  as  their  other  official  documents. In  case  there is

no  exact  date  of  birth  of  the  voter , it  will  be  considered  that

he/she  was  born  on  01  January  of  the  year  of  birth.

1. Prior  to  the  enrolment  in  the  special  voting  registers ,  the

municipalities   verify   the   accuracy   of   th e  voter’s  personal

data   and   his/her  official  documents   through   the   Ministry   of

Interior , Decentralization  and e-Governance  and  the  Ministry  of

Citizens’  Protection . This  procedure  does  not  apply  to  aliens of

Greek  descent , who  may  simply  apply  for  a  certification  from

the  issuing  authorities  of  their  residence permit .  In  case  a voter’s

personal  data  are  found  incorrect , the  enrolment  cannot  be  made

and  the  interested  party   is  instructed  by  the  municipality  to apply

to  the  competent  authority  for  its  verification.

Article  19

Updating  special  voting  registers ,

Striking  off  voters

1.     The  provisions  of  articles  7  to  20  of  Presidential  Decree  No. 96/

2007 ( Government  Gazette  No. 116A)   are  being  implemented in

cases  of  enrolment , changes , appeals  and  striking  off  voters from 

the  register.

2.      Voters  of  article  14 , paragraph  1  of  the  present  Law can  be

struck  off   the  voting  registers , as  follows :

1. Upon  their  application
2. If  they  no  longer  meet  the  voter’s  requirements
3. If  they  acquire  Greek  citizenship .The  Direction  of  Citizen-

ship  is  bound  to  inform  the  Direction  on  Elections  about

any  cases  of  naturalization .

3.      The  Ministry  of  Interior , Decentralization  and e-Governance  is  in

charge  of  striking  off  the  special  voting  registers  all  those  who

are  deprived  of  their  right  to  vote. In  this  connection , the  Courts

of First  Instance  send  to  the  Ministry  of  Interior , Decentralization

and  e-Governance  a  detailed  list  which  enables  it  to  identify such

voters  in  the  special  voting  register .  This  procedure  takes  place

every  two  months ( within  the  first  ten  days ).

Article  20

Issues  such  as  the  age  limit , the  entitlement  to  the  right  to  vote  , the

impediments   to   such  right ,  the  eventual   incompatibilities  and  other

restrictions  in  order  to  be  elected  and any  other  issue  which  is  not

clearly  defined  in  the  provisions  of  articles  14  to  19  of  the  present

Law  are  being  regulated  by  the  provisions  of  Presidential  Decree  No.

133/1997 (Government  Gazette  No. 121A) , by  the  legislation  on  the

election  of  Members  of  Parliament  and  by  the  Municipal  Code.

Article  21

1. During  the  initial  implementation  of  articles  14  to  20  of  this  Law,

the  deadline  for  enrolment  in  the  special  voting  registers  of article

17    expires  on  30  June  2010.

2.    However ,  an  extension  of  the  above-mentioned  deadline  ( not  exceeding

the  period  of  two  months ) may be granted  upon  decision  of  the  Minister

of  Interior , Decentralization  and  e-Governance.

CHAPTER  C.

TRANSITIONAL -  FINAL  PROVISIONS

Article  22

Pending   applications  for  naturalization

1. Pending  applications  for  naturalization  will  be  processed  in  conformity

with  the  provisions  for  naturalization  which  were  in  effect  prior  to this

Law.  The  Naturalization  Committee  takes  into  consideration  the essential

requirements  of   Articles  5A  and  5B  of  the  Code  on  Greek Citizenship,

while  its  decision  will  be  based  on  article  8  paragraph  2  of  the  same

Code.  In  case  it  is  verified  that  the  interested  alien  has  completed  at

least  five  consecutive  years  of  legal  residence  in  Greece ,  his  /  her

pending  application  cannot  be  rejected  on  such  grounds.

2.     The   operation   of   the   Naturalization   Committee   of   the  Ministry  of

Interior , Decentralization  and  e-Governance ( including  its  formation and

responsibilities   provided    by   article   12   of   the   Code   on   Greek

Citizenship,  as  it  was  into  effect  before  its  amendment  by  article  8 of

the  present  Law )  is  hereby  extended  until  the  issuance  of  Decision  on

applications  for  naturalization  which  were  pending  at  the  time  that  the

present  Law  came  into  effect.

3.    Pending  applications  for  naturalization  and  citizenship  will  be  processed

within  a  deadline  of  three  years  from  the  date  that this  Law  takes

effect.

No peaceful People Power without Cory

By Rigoberto D. Tiglao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
August  21, 2009

Corazon Aquino may well be the first Filipino to have a global impact: She inspired the nonviolent democracy movements that swept the globe in the past two decades.

It is Cory who has a lasting impact on the world.

Real heroes are not comic-book superheroes; they emerge from very real factors and very real situations. But heroes, nonetheless.

An exaggeration?

First of all, we need to clarify.

The EDSA revolution was the result of the collective action of Filipinos. It resulted from a confluence of events, from the assassination of Cory’s husband in 1983, the virtual collapse of the economy starting in 1984, the failed coup attempt by Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and his boys and their decision, together with Constabulary Chief Fidel Ramos, to dig in for a heroic last stand at Camp Crame, Jaime Cardinal Sin’s calling on the faithful to defend failed coup plotters, the massive turnout of people at EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue), and the military’s refusal to shoot demonstrators.

Yet things most probably would not have turned out as a peaceful people power revolution if not for Corazon Aquino’s moral authority, her appeals—never threats—for Ferdinand Marcos to heed the call of the people and step down peacefully.

They were certainly brave, but Ramos and Enrile, the latter toting an Uzi submachine gun, and beside them the gung-ho RAM boys wearing bandoleros, didn’t exactly send a message that they wanted a peaceful resolution to the conflict. They were gearing for combat, with the crowds at EDSA delaying Marcos’ armed response, and giving time for other military units to defect to them for a showdown with the dictator’s troops.

Gandhian aura

Cory’s decision on Feb. 25, 1986 to take her oath of office not in Camp Crame but in a civilian venue, not only sent the strongest message that she was now assuming power peacefully. How could Marcos after all order the arrest of such a gentle widow who claimed to be Philippine President now?

Without the Gandhi-like aura of Cory, the EDSA revolt in February 1986 could have ended up like the Plaza Mendiola massacre, of course much, much bloodier. Violently dispersing a crowd, as an Asian nation demonstrated a few years after, is after all something a regime can do and still survive. But after that, what? Either a more cruel martial law, and then years, even decades of civil war.

‘Tita’ figure

With Cory as a kind of a mother, or “Tita” figure hovering over EDSA, it became a defining moment for Filipinos: Even if their brotherhood they called the Philippines was a very young one, they—even Marcos and his generals—realized in their hearts that brothers shouldn’t really be killing brothers.

Why, even criminals on those days remarkably stopped killing and robbing people; the communist urban guerrillas kept their 45s in their safe houses and maybe even fingered rosaries with the nuns at Camp Crame.

But are we exaggerating the global impact of Cory and the People Power revolution?

Look at the facts.

Before EDSA 1, the only two instances of a peaceful end to dictatorships were Portugal’s Carnation Revolution and the fall of the Greek junta, both in 1974. But both were actually colonels’ coups—probably the inspiration for RAM—and the world soon forgot about these two restorations of democracy.

Democratic domino effect

But after the Philippine People Power revolution, there was, as it were, the quickening of democratic impulses.

Just a year after the EDSA uprising, huge people’s rallies challenged South Korea’s strongman, former general Chun Doo-hwa, which eventually led to democratic reforms, among them the direct election of the president. Chile’s Pinochet lost his iron grip in power in 1989.

While Poland’s “Solidarity” movement started in the 1980s, it gained momentum only after 1986, with Lech Walesa assuming power in 1989. Indeed, in his visit to Manila in 1995, Walesa said: “Your peaceful People Power Revolution was an inspiration to us for our own revolution.”

From then on, it was a democratic domino effect: Poland’s people power revolution in turn inspired the Singing Revolutions in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the Baltic states in 1989, as well as the East German democracy movement that finally tore the Berlin wall down; and Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution—which all contributed to the demise of one of the two most powerful anti-democratic states in the world.

South Africa was well on the path of armed revolution waged by the military organization “Spear of the Nation,” but then in the wake of peaceful strikes and protests, in 1990, the new president, F.W. de Klerk, started negotiations that peacefully ended apartheid rule by 1993.

Global meme

At the very least, “People Power” became a global meme, using the evolutionist Richard Dawkins’ term for cultural ideas, beliefs, and practices—e.g, a handshake, the birthday cake, monogamy, belief in an afterlife—that replicate rapidly among humans and accepted as normal practices or incontrovertible truths, even without people knowing why or where they came from.

Used before 1986 as a term for the role small communities played in changing government policies and practice, “people power” after the EDSA revolt came to mean a peaceful revolution participated in by “the people.”

That it had become a global meme is reflected by the fact that one scholar on the scene reported that East German democracy activists mentioned “people power” often in 1989, even if they didn’t even know that a country called the Philippines existed.

The many books printed in the 1990s on the anti-monarchist movement in Nepal, the communist Naxalite insurgency in Bihar, India, the democratization movements in Eastern Europe were all titled People Power or had that term in their titles, without any mention at all of the Philippines.

Not just romantic nation

That our People Power Revolution inspired democratization movements worldwide isn’t just a romantic notion, but based on certain rather mundane facts.

For one thing, it was the new, more powerful role of media that got people around the globe to be inspired by People Power.

CNN in 1986 was just a few years old, employing greenhorn, underpaid reporters. For the first time in history, through CNN, people were watching a revolution as it happened, with all its poignant images—no, videos—such as nuns praying the rosary in front of tanks, demonstrators putting flowers into soldiers’ gun barrels. And you can understand them: from the convent-school Cory to the NPA regular, they were articulate in English!

The 1980s were the heyday of international magazines as well as of dashing, hard-drinking “foreign correspondents.” Things got boring since the end of the Vietnam War in 1974, and they scoured the world for romantic stories of good vs evil and the story of a widowed housewife challenging a dictator was an epic story.

One Christian missionary left his ministry to string for several US and European newspapers.

Dreams of Pulitzer

Droves of American reporters dreaming of the Pulitzer Prize descended on Manila. It was indeed an assignment from heaven: You didn’t need translators, and Filipinos, even RAM coup plotters, were so talkative.

And after a hard day’s work covering the rallies, the nightlife in Malate was just fantastic. Five-star hotel accommodations and great rep expense required great stories that people got excited about. The Cory story landed on the front pages of many, many newspapers; Time, Newsweek, Far Eastern Economic Review, Asiaweek, and many more would make Cory and the People Power revolution their cover stories.

Morality play told, retold

With these, Cory’s morality play would be told and retold faster and broader than any similar revolution in the modern era. No wonder it inspired in such a short time peoples from different countries living under dictatorships.

Furthermore, with the “technology” for People Power, as it were, developed in the country, there were people actively propagating the idea—and raking in a lot of money for their work.

The political consultancy group Sawyer Miller were close-in, on-the-ground advisers for the Cory camp whose people reportedly wrote some of her speeches and gave her advice in the February elections up to the revolt. (Cf: James Harding, Alpha Dogs: The Americans Who Turned Political Spin into a Global Business.)

With Cory’s victory in the People Power revolution, the firm’s prestige shot up, their “technology,” even if pejoratively described as the art of the political spin, was studied, their political-consultancy business model adopted by a host of new Washington-based firms.

Harding noted in his book: “On the back of the success in Chile and the Philippines, Sawyer Miller spread across the South American continent…”

When the firm’s principal David Sawyer died in 1999, Sen. Daniel Moynihan stood up on the floor of the US Senate to mourn him, saying, among other things, that Sawyer “helped to open up the governments of Eastern Europe and Latin America by introducing mass communication into their electoral processes.”

An exaggeration

“The Sawyer Miller group had a lasting impact on the world because their craft worked,” Harding wrote.

Now, that is an exaggeration. Sawyer would have been nothing without the People Power revolt. And there wouldn’t have been a People Power revolt without Cory.

After Rizal, the globalist who first envisioned the “Filipino,” and Bonifacio the nationalist revolutionary, enters now into our nation’s pantheon of heroes, Cory, the icon of world democracy.

(The author is currently ambassador to Greece . He used to be editor in chief of inq7.net.)

Ambassador Tiglao was accompanied by celebrity Ilias Psinakis and his brother Yorgos Psinakis, both of whom have been active in developing relations between Greece and the Philippines.

The mayor handed to the ambassador his formal invitation for the Mayor of Manila Alfredo Lim to visit Athens in the fall to sign a protocol establishing Athens and Manila as sister cities. The Mayor expressed his admiration for the Filipino community in Athens, whom he said he has the highest respect for.

For a video of the meeting, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2eHTcYqywg

Their oaths of office were administered by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo in simple ceremonies held at the DFA today. ”The appointment of these undersecretaries shows the full confidence of President Aquino in our work.  I trust that these undersecretaries carry on the best tradition and practices of the Department, and with team spirit and hard work, we will succeed,” Secretary Romulo said.

Basilio and Conejos were reappointed to their previous positions as Undersecretary for Policy and Migrant Workers’ Affairs, respectively, while Seguis is now Undersecretary for Administration.

“With the objective of promoting national interest, including promoting and protecting the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and with the help of DFA’s geographic offices, we will pursue the policy directions set by President Aquino,” Undersecretary Basilio said.

For his part, Undersecretary Seguis stated, “I have served the DFA for 46 years and several administrations, from Diosdado Macapagal to her daughter Gloria, and from Corazon Aquino and now her son Benigno III.  I have come full circle, and I will fulfill the expectations set out by the new administration and the public.”

“As long as I am at the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs, the DFA will be at the forefront of providing protection and promoting the welfare of our OFWs,” Undersecretary Conejos said.

Undersecretary Basilio came from the ranks, starting as Foreign Affairs Officer IV in 1970.  She served as Ambassador to Sweden (1997-2003) and Permanent Representative to the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in Geneva (2007-2010).  At the DFA, she served as Assistant Secretary for Asia and Pacific Affairs (1995-1997) and Undersecretary for Policy (2006-2007).

Starting at the DFA in 1962 as a Technical Assistant, Undersecretary Seguis passed the Foreign Service Officers examination in 1973 and also rose from the ranks.  He served as Ambassdor to Iraq (1991-1996), Saudi Arabia (1999-2002) and Indonesia (2003).  At the Home Office, he served as Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs (1996-1999), and Undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns (2003-2010) and concurrently Chairperson of the Government Negotiating Panel for Peace Talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Undersecretary Conejos was appointed as Undersecetary for Migrant Workers Affairs in 2006.  Previously, he was Department of National Defense Undersecretary for Operations (1998-2001). END (photos by: Mark Santos and Benjie Remo, DFA-PISU)

Ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao and Madame Getsy Tiglao

The Philippine Embassy marked the 112^th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence with two major, well-attended events in Athens:  a fiesta-type celebration with the Filipino community at the Fokianos basketball court at Zappeio on 06 June 2010 and a Diplomatic Reception for the diplomatic corps at the prestigious King George Palace on 11 June 2010, both in central Athens.

Filipino Community (See Photos in Features Section)

The whole-day celebration with the Filipino community at Zappeio began with the parade of banners of various Filipino community associations in Greece and the singing of the Philippine national anthem. His Excellency Ambassador Rigoberto D.Tiglao led Philippine Embassy officials and delivered the Philippine Independence Day message.

A huge marquee and three big tents covered the venue as protection from the sun and rain.  Athens News, the Philippine Embassy’s communications sponsor for this event, distributed free newspapers and flyers during the event. Coca Cola, Emirates Airlines and the Accredited Community Partners (ACP) served as the major sponsors for the Filipino community event.

The different Filipino organizations showed off their rich and colorful costumes during the parade. Students of the Philippine School in Greece (formerly known as KAPHILCA or Katipunan Philippines Cultural Academy) and representatives of various Filipino organizations performed cultural numbers consisting of songs and dances on the stage specifically built and assembled by the embassy for the cultural presentations.

Known Filipino singer Ms Tina Paner sponsored by Globe Asiatique sang during the occasion.

Over 1,000 people, Filipinos, Greeks and other foreign citizens participated in this year’s Independence Day celebration at Zappeio. (For Photos, see feature page>)

Diplomatic Reception (See Photos at Features Section)

About 350 guests from the diplomatic corps, Greek officialdom and business led by one of Greece’s biggest shipping company Tsakos attended the diplomatic reception hosted by Ambassador Rigoberto D. Tiglao and Mrs. Getsy Tiglao in the grand ballroom of the King George Palace. Mayor of Athens Nikitas Kaklamanis, Deputy Chief of Protocol Kyriakos Amiridis and the Chief of Police of the Greek parliament Evangelos Agelis led Greek senior officials who attended the embassy’s Diplomatic Reception

The embassy also invited to the reception leaders of the various Filipino community organizations in Greece.

The reception served a combination of western and Filipino cuisine which the embassy’s foreign guests appreciated very much. They partook of the sumptuous feast of native Filipino dishes such as adobo, fried vegetable lumpia, longganisa, barbecue, buchi, siopao, puto and leche flan.

Filipino music played throughout the event and a video presentation on Philippine culture and economy ran for the duration of the reception. Tourism brochures and other information materials were also given to the guests.

Greece’s premier Star Television Channel together with its famous television personality Ilias Psinakis arrived to interview Ambassador Tiglao.

Athens Mayor Nikita Kaklamanis greets the Ambassador

With Greek celebrity Mr. Ilias Psinakis