Catanduanes chief executive Joseph Cua of the ruling Liberal Party hasn’t swam out of troubled waters after critics questioned his citizenship and the authenticity of his naturalization documents before the Bureau of Immigration in November 2012.

Complainant Larry Que asked the Immigration bureau to act on their complaint and if the evidence so warrants, to initiate proper deportation proceedings on Cua.

“Governor Cua claims to be a naturalized Filipino citizen but this is not true. He is a Chinese citizen and thus, should not be allowed to run for public office, much less hold the gubernatorial post,” Que said.

“The Bureau of Immigration is the state agency that is responsible for the administration and enforcement of immigration and citizenship laws. It has jurisdiction over this complaint,” he added.

The complainant alleged that there are irregular transactions and entries in the naturalization papers and supporting documents submitted by the governor such as the glaring disparity in the names he used in various documents.

Cua’s birth certificate originally bore the name Joseph Qua, with his parents identified as Fernando Qua and Asuncion Qua. However, respondent’s surname was changed from Qua to Cua, while his mother’s surname from Qua to Chua. Both corrections were allegedly made upon order of the Municipal Registry of Calolbon, Catanduanes, where the governor was born.

The governor claimed that he is a naturalized Filipino citizen by derivative mode, since his father was a naturalized Filipino citizen under Presidential Decree 836. But his father’s name is not included in the list of those granted Filipino citizenship under the said law.

The complainant also alleged that some important documents, such as the Oath of Allegiance and the Petition to Cancel Certificate of Alien Registration, among others, which are necessary to complete the naturalization process by derivative mode, could not be found in the records of the bureau.

“It is significant that some important documents that are necessary to complete the said mode of naturalization process could not be found in the bureau’s records. We can only conclude that Cua’s naturalization papers and certificate of identification are questionable and should be investigated,” he stressed.