Aside from the country’s naturalization law, a foreigner can be granted Filipino citizenship through a bill approved by the Congress which has been the case for some athletes and personalities.
Their citizenship bills state their contributions to Philippine society, making them deserving of being Filipino citizens. But what made the Senate approve the granting of citizenship to Chinese Liduan Wang despite his alleged ties to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO)?
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that a foreigner does need to have big contributions to be eligible for citizenship.
“Hindi naman yung contribution mo yung talagang earth-shaking contribution,” he said in Mark Salazar’s report in 24 Oras on Wednesday.
(You don’t need to have earthshaking contributions.)
“May-ari siya ng school, isang maliit na private school in Cagayan de Oro at dito siya pinanganak. Sa atin kung ang parents mo ay Chinese, kahit pinanganak ka dito, Chinese ka pa rin. So sa tagal niya dito, marunong na siya mag-Bisaya.”
(He is the owner of a small private school in Cagayan de Oro and he was born here. If your parents are Chinese, you are also still Chinese even if you were born in the Philippines. He knows how to speak Bisaya given how long he has been living here.)
Gatchalian added Wang also has a business in the Philippines and there were no derogatory reports about him.
The senator is one of the 19 lawmakers who earlier voted in favor of granting Philippine citizenship to the Chinese businessman despite the “red flags” raised by Senator Risa Hontiveros.
Hontiveros, the lone senator who voted against the foreigner’s citizenship bill, said Wang is allegedly a junket operator and has ties to Duanren Wu, said to be the “big boss” of the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.
“I could not in good conscience vote to grant Filipino citizenship to Liduan Wang,” she said in the plenary.
But Gatchalian said that he requested for additional requirements from Wang before he voted in favor of his citizenship bill.
“In order naman lahat, lahat ng required documents sinubmit doon […] Tapos humingi sila ng requirements from NICA…may mga certification naman itong tatlong ahensya na walang silang nakikitang hindi maganda at walang negative reports,” he said.
(Everything was in order, all the required documents were submitted […] They also asked for requirements from NICA…three agencies have issued certifications proving that there were no negative reports about him.)
There was also no concrete evidence that would prove Wang’s alleged ties to POGO, Gatchalian added.
Citing the profiling of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Senator JV Ejercito noted Wang has been staying in the Philippines for a long time and his children are studying here.
He is said to be an active member of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and of the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
GMA Integrated News has reached out to Wang for comment. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News