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At a press briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that the President rejected House Bill 8839, or “An Act Granting Filipino Citizenship to Li Duan Wang.”
AFP / File
MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has vetoed a bill seeking to grant Filipino citizenship to Chinese national Li Duan Wang due to his alleged ties to Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) activities, Malacañang announced yesterday.
At a press briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that the President rejected House Bill 8839, or “An Act Granting Filipino Citizenship to Li Duan Wang.”
“I am unable to blindly ignore the alarming and revealing warnings raised by our relevant national agencies that find the subject grantee’s character and influence to be full of ominous and dire consequences, if not of a clear and present danger,” Castro quoted the President as saying in his veto message.
According to the President, disregarding such warnings would be tantamount to a dereliction of duty to the Filipino people, Castro added.
The President is firm in his belief that Filipino citizenship is a privilege and is not given so simply to anyone nor should it be used to facilitate questionable interests, Castro said.
She further stated that the President was “not convinced” by Congress’ approval of Li’s naturalization.
Last year, Marcos ordered a ban on POGOs, which have been linked to various criminal activities, including kidnapping.
In January, 19 senators approved the bill granting citizenship to Li, who is also known by the Filipino name Mark Ong and has resided in the country for some time.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros was the lone senator who opposed the measure, citing Li’s alleged links to POGO-related criminal activities.
Hontiveros identified Li as a major operator of the 9 Dynasty junket group, which shares a corporate structure with Rivendell Gaming Corp. – a POGO hub in Pasay City that was raided in August 2023.
She also said Li is a business associate of Duanren Wu, the alleged “big boss” of POGOs and a board member of Whirlwind Corp., which leased land to Lucky South 99, another raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.
In a statement following the President’s decision, Hontiveros described the veto as a “necessary and welcome move” and reiterated her earlier objections to Li’s citizenship bid.
“This shows our government’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of our Filipino citizenship,” she said.
Hontiveros pointed out that the President’s veto is demanded by the weight of available evidence.
