MANILA – The Senate has passed on third and final reading a bill that grants Philippine citizenship to Li Duan Wang, a Chinese national whom Sen. Risa Hontiveros has linked to the alleged leader of the recently raided POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operator) facility in Porac, Pampanga.
In a vote tally of 19 in favor and one opposed, the Senate endorsed House Bill No. 8839, which requires Wang to take an oath of allegiance and provides him with a certificate of naturalization.
Senator Hontiveros expressed her discontent regarding the decision to grant Li Filipino citizenship, emphasizing that her colleagues should have taken heed of past experiences involving former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping.
“Hindi pa ba tayo natuto sa panloloko ni Guo Hua Ping, alias Alice Guo, o kay Yang Jianxin, alias Tony Yang? Hindi pa ba tayo nadala sa mga abusadong dayuhang nagpanggap na Pilipino para pagkakitaan ang taumbayan at dungisan ang ating mga sistema?” Hontiveros said.
“Susugal pa ba tayo muli sa isang taong ikinubli sa Kongreso ang kanyang mga kaduda-dudang kaugnayan?” Hontiveros added in explaining her vote against House Bill 8839.
The senator highlighted that Li is allegedly involved in junket operations and has associations with Duanren Wu, identified as the “big boss” of the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.
Additionally, Hontiveros noted that Wang operated a business in the same building linked to confessed Chinese spy She Zhijiang, as reported in an Al Jazeera documentary.
She further stated that Wang was associated with the Jinjiang Yuxi Association, which is purportedly part of the Communist Party of China’s united front work, and that he had provided false identification as a Filipino to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Hindi ko po hinatulan na guiilty sa anumang krimen si Li Duan Wang… pero sapat ang mga red flags na ito para hindi siya pagkalooban ng pagiging Pilipino nang ganito lamang kadali,” Hontiveros said./PN
