Подкидыш (брошенный новорожденный ребенок) — предположительно рожденный естественным путем.

The presumption is rebuttable but only by "substantial proof of foreign parentage" (RA 11767 §5). RA 11767 also runs a parallel anti-statelessness track. As of 2026 the foundling natural-born doctrine is settled apex precedent (binding stare decisis) plus operative statute — it must not be presented as unsettled (ASSERT-014, ASSERT-037).

A claimant qualifies under PH-BTH-01 as a foundling: under RA 11767 §3, "a deserted or abandoned child or infant with unknown facts of birth and parentage," including a person "duly registered as a foundling during.. infant childhood, but [who has] reached the age of majority without benefitting from adoption procedures upon the passage of this law." The geographic predicate is finding "in the Philippines and/or in Philippine embassies, consulates and territories abroad" (RA 11767 §5). On satisfying the foundling definition, the person is presumed natural-born regardless of the status or circumstances of birth — there is no further eligibility test. The presumption is defeated only by substantial proof of foreign parentage; it is expressly not defeated by a simulated birth certificate, the absence of a legal adoption process, or "inaction or delay in reporting, documenting, or registering" the foundling (RA 11767 §5; ASSERT-016). Because the doctrine is jus-sanguinis-consistent, the eligibility is conceptually "proof of a Filipino parent substituted by an empirical presumption" — the PSA empirical data placing the presumption "at more than 99% and.. a virtual certainty" (Poe-Llamanzares). As of 2026 both the constitutional presumption (Poe) and the statutory codification (RA 11767) are in force.

RA 11767 §10 specifies the documents required before a foundling may be registered with the Local Civil Registrar:

"(a) Affidavit of the finder; (b) Certification of the barangay captain or police authority on the circumstance surrounding the foundling's discovery...; and (c) Report of the NACC duly signed by the authorized officer."

The NACC report "must attest to the fact that the birth and parentage of the foundling are unknown despite the proactive and diligent search and inquiry conducted." For adult foundlings with an existing certificate of foundling or similar official document, §10 dispenses with an exhaustive social case study and directs the Local Civil Registrar to issue a Certificate of Live Birth "without cost, on the basis of such document alone." On the evidentiary standard for the citizenship presumption itself, the presumption "may not be impugned in any proceeding unless substantial proof of foreign parentage is shown" (RA 11767 §5) — a deliberately high rebuttal threshold. The statute is silent on a DNA-testing regime, deferring such detail to the IRR (ASSERT-016). Notably, the natural-born status is unaffected by a simulated birth certificate, absence of legal adoption, or registration delay (§5). As of 2026 these are the statutory documentary requirements; precise IRR forms are post-ingest administrative detail and must not be fabricated.

As with descent, the natural-born status is conferred by operation of law (presumption), not by a grant. RA 11767 nonetheless creates a registration and confirmation procedure for documenting foundlings. The lead agency is the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) (with functions performed by the DSWD during the transitional period), working through Regional Alternative Child Care Offices (RACCOs) and Local Social Welfare and Development Offices (LSWDOs), and culminating in registration with the Local Civil Registrar who issues the foundling's Certificate of Live Birth. Under RA 11767 §9, the NACC conducts a "proactive and diligent search and inquiry into the facts of birth and parentage"; under §10, on the strength of the prescribed documents the Local Civil Registrar issues the Certificate of Live Birth, and an "order of confirmation of citizenship" formalizes the citizenship status. A finder must report within 48 hours to the LSWDO (§4). Consistent with the broader rule, there is no judicial declaration of citizenship mechanism (Republic v. Sagun); the foundling's status is confirmed administratively. As of 2026 this NACC/LCR pathway is the operative procedure, though the detailed IRR mechanics are partly post-ingest administrative detail.

The citizenship status attaches at the moment of birth — RA 11767 §5 affords the foundling protections "at the moment of birth.. whose citizenship does not need perfection or any further act." The processing timeline concerns documentation, not status: a finder reports within 48 hours (§4); the NACC conducts its search and inquiry "[w]ithin fifteen (15) days after commitment.. unless more time is needed" (§9); and the Local Civil Registrar issues the Certificate of Live Birth upon receipt of the §10 documents. An "order of confirmation of citizenship" marks the administrative confirmation point, but — importantly — "the foundling shall not be considered stateless between the period of [f]inding or discovery and the issuance of the order of confirmation of citizenship" (RA 11767 §10/anti-statelessness proviso; ASSERT-033). RA 11767 also applies retroactively: §20 provides "This Act shall have retroactive effect for any foundling insofar as it does not prejudice or impair vested or acquired rights pursuant to existing laws," and a transitory provision extends benefits to adult foundlings registered in childhood, subject to compliance "within ten (10) years from [the Act's] effectivity." The Act took effect 15 days after publication (§26). As of 2026 these timelines govern documentation; the status itself is timeless from birth.

The constitutional basis is Article IV of the 1987 Constitution read inclusively, combined with the incorporation clause for generally accepted principles of international law. The Supreme Court held in Poe-Llamanzares (PH-PRIMARY-12):

"As a matter of law, foundlings are as a class, natural-born citizens. While the 1935 Constitution's enumeration is silent as to foundlings, there is no restrictive language which would definitely exclude foundlings either."

and

"The policy is clear: it is to recognize foundlings, as a class, as Filipinos under Art. IV, Section 1 (3) of the 1935 Constitution. This inclusive policy is carried over into the 1973 and 1987 Constitution."

The statutory basis is RA 11767 §5 (PH-PRIMARY-11):

"A foundling found in the Philippines and/or in Philippine embassies, consulates and territories abroad is presumed a natural-born Filipino citizen regardless of the status or circumstances of birth. As a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a foundling is accorded with rights and protections at the moment of birth equivalent to those belonging to such class of citizens whose citizenship does not need perfection or any further act."

with §5 paragraph 2 supplying the rebuttal standard, and RA 11767 §2 declaring the policy "to reduce and prevent statelessness.. ensuring a natural-born citizen status consistent with our Constitution." RA 11767's title itself "RECOGNIZ[ES] THEIR STATUS AS NATURAL-BORN CITIZENS OF THE PHILIPPINES." As of 2026 these are the controlling primary texts; the natural-born presumption rests on both Poe (2016) and RA 11767 (2022).