Filipino-Americans are being urged not to panic over headlines about a proposed U.S. law that could eliminate dual citizenship, with the Philippine Embassy in Washington emphasizing that no such rule is currently in effect.

In a statement, the embassy clarified that a bill requiring Americans to pledge exclusive allegiance to the United States “has not yet been enacted into law.”

“Our Philippine foreign service posts in the United States are closely monitoring the bill and advise the Filipino-American community to do the same and exercise caution in renouncing their citizenship. Renunciation of Philippine citizenship is an irreversible legal action,” the Philippine Embassy said in a statement.

“It will go through several stages of lengthy deliberation and may or may not proceed depending on the decisions of the US Congress,” the embassy said. “Renunciation of Philippine citizenship is an irreversible legal action,” it added.

The measure, called the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, was filed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, who argues that holding two passports creates dangerous conflicts of interest.

“Being an American citizen is an honor and a privilege—and if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good,” Moreno, also an immigrant from Colombia, said.

Under current U.S. law, citizens are still allowed to keep foreign nationality if permitted by the other country — and the Philippines does exactly that under Republic Act 9225, the Dual Citizenship Law. The law allows natural-born Filipinos who became foreign citizens to reacquire Philippine citizenship, as long as they are at least 18 years old.

The embassy also reminded the public that similar proposals to restrict dual citizenship have failed in the past.

As far back as 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that dual citizenship is a “status long recognized by law” and that “a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to the responsibilities of both.”

“The mere fact he asserts the rights of one citizenship does not mean that he renounces the other,” the ruling stressed.

Lawmakers, the embassy added, will still have to weigh the bill carefully due to its “possible significant impact on major immigrant groups” across the country — including millions of Filipino-Americans.

📷 Philippine Embassy, Washington DC