Grace Poe’s hubby completes process to shed US citizenship

The husband of presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe has completed the steps to renounce his American citizenship and was expected to receive a certificate from the United States embassy yesterday attesting to this, the senator disclosed in a television interview.

The citizenship of Teodoro Llamanzares, Poe’s husband, had come under fire from the start of the election campaign, with critics raising the specter of an American family living in Malacañang should she win the race.

Llamanzares had been a dual citizen of the Philippines and the United States. He was born in the United States, but is a natural born Filipino since both his parents are Filipinos.

Llamanzares renounced his US citizenship before a Filipino official and also before the US embassy weeks ago, Poe said in an interview aired on the ABS-CBN News Channel.

“He’s getting his certificate [from the US embassy] today,” Poe said yesterday.

She said the renunciation before US officials had been a long process, because Llamanzares had to file his taxes for the last five years and put a lot of documents together.

Llamanzares has also been a registered voter in the Philippines and had in fact voted in previous elections, Poe said, disputing claims that even her own family can’t vote for her in the May polls.

Poe also disputed allegations that her husband, who used to work for the US military, was affiliated with the Central Intelligence Agency.

“I know my husband and he doesn’t meddle. He does not know a lot of people in the world of politics,” she said.

“If he is with the CIA, he would have long been kicked out because he’s useless, he has nothing to contribute,” she said.

Her husband is always with her and does not suddenly disappear, she said.

“This is not ‘True Lies,’” she said, referring to the American comedy movie where the husband—unknown to his family—works as a spy.