SENATORS are very busy people. Their hands are full complying with the constitutional mandate to legislate.
They are also politicians who hobnob with people day in and day out. Time is easily lost to meetings and public functions, oftentimes at the expense of family and friends.
One may say a senator’s time is as precious as gold.
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The legislative mill itself is loaded with bills wanting equal attention. Unless the President certifies a bill as urgent it might not find the light of day and will have to be refiled under new Congresses.
One would thus understand why a foreigner wanting naturalization as a Filipino citizen would rather go through the judicial or administrative processes and avoid the gauntlet of Congress actually finding the time and wherewithal to grant them citizenship.
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Legislative naturalization is special in that it is normally reserved for foreigners who have contributed significantly to Philippine society.
Examples are athletes who are needed in our rosters for competition like Justin Brownlee who got naturalized as a Filipino through the passage of Republic Act 11937. An American, he was tapped to beef up the Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team.
The Senate had to act accordingly, in tandem with the House of Representatives.
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Upon sponsorship of Sen. Francis Tolentino, the Senate last week approved on final reading House Bill No. 8839 which grants Philippine citizenship to Li Duan Wang, a Chinese citizen who has possible links to offshore gaming operators.
The Senate vote was almost unanimous. Only Sen. Risa Hontiveros dissented from the overwhelming majority, doubting the merits of Li Duan Wang’s application for legislative naturalization.
Hontiveros said Li is linked to POGO big boss Duanren Wu who bankrolled operations in Porac, Pampanga that was found by authorities to have been engaged in torture, mutilation, and human trafficking.
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Li Duan Wang’s major contribution to the Philippines appears to be bringing in junket casino players from China and other places. Tolentino confirmed this in his interpellation.
Hontiveros claims Li is a major operator of the 9 Dynasty Group that has common directorships with Rivendel Gaming Corp., a Pogo hub in Pasay City that had been raided by the government for scamming.
These red flags were not disclosed when his application for naturalization was filed in Congress.
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Tolentino explained that casino junket operations are not illegal. Casinos are in fact operating extensively in the Philippines as is known to the average Filipino.
What he did not explain, however, is why Li failed to disclose these connections in his application, which, when taken together, may indeed be the red flags that Hontiveros says should have given the Senate pause in processing it.
Is it a case of hiding in plain sight?
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The President has the final say because he gets to sign the enrolled bill into law. He can surely veto it, but he can also let the bill lapse into law without actually signing his concurrence.
In the meantime, can we say this was executive spent badly?/PN
