The court of appeals: has upheld the decision of the Taguig City Regional Trial Court, which questioned the deportation proceedings against mining executive Joseph Cue Sy.

According to Philippines News Agency, in a 15-page decision authored by Associate Justice Carlito Calpatura on February 20 and disclosed on Wednesday, the appellate court declared that the deportation proceeding against Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. chairman Joseph Cue Sy cannot proceed unless his birth certificate, which states he is a Filipino citizen, is canceled or corrected.

Sy was detained in August last year when immigration officers claimed his fingerprints corresponded with those of a Chinese citizen, Chen Zhong Zhen, and alleged that he had unlawfully obtained his Filipino citizenship.

The Court of Appeals stated, "It is not for Sy to prove its alleged falsity, but for the respondents-appellants who are assailing the certificate to prove it. As a duly registered public document, the birth certificate is presumed to have undergone the process prescribed by law for the late registration of birth."

Previously, lawmakers expressed concern over Sy's expanding influence despite the uncertainties surrounding his Filipino citizenship. In response to these concerns, the Philippine Coast Guard revoked Sy's honorary rank as an auxiliary rear admiral last year.