Escudero: Majority of senators approved Wang citizenship

While Senator Risa Hontiveros may have reservations about granting Li Duan Wang Philippine citizenship, the fact remained that a majority of senators approved the bill that granted the citizenship, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said on Tuesday.

"Nagbotohan ang Senado kahapon. Nagbotohan ang Kamara. Bumoto [si Sen. Hontiveros] laban doon. Karapatan niya 'yun at ginagalang ko 'yun," Escudero said.

(The Senate voted yesterday. The House of Representatives also voted. She voted against it. That is her right, and I respect that.)

"Bawat panukalang batas, hindi naman lahat sumasang-ayon... Hindi porke’t may isang may reserbasyon, eh siya na ang masusunod. Kaya nga demokrasya at mayorya ang sinusunod. Pinagpasyahan ng mayorya na hindi sumasang-ayon sa kanya o wala namang pumipigil na mangyari at gawin 'yun, kahit na may basehan man o wala," he added.

(For every proposed bill, not everyone agrees... Just because one person has reservations doesn't mean they will have the final say. That's why we follow democracy and the majority. The majority decided not to agree with her, and nothing prevents that decision from occurring and being carried out, whether it has a basis or not.)

On Monday, the Senate passed the bill on its third and final reading with a 19-to-1 vote. The legislation, which originated in the House of Representatives, includes provisions requiring Wang to take an oath of allegiance and be issued a certificate of naturalization.

Hontiveros, the sole dissenting vote, raised what she described as "red flags" about Wang, accusing him of withholding critical information from Congress.

These red flags included Wang's alleged role as a junket operator and his reported ties to Duanren Wu, described as the "big boss" of a raided POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) hub in Porac, Pampanga.

Hontiveros further alleged that Wang operated a business in the same building as an entity linked to She Zhijiang, who was described as a confessed Chinese spy in an Al Jazeera documentary.

Additionally, she claimed that Wang was associated with the Jinjiang Yuxi Association, allegedly part of the Chinese Communist Party's united front work, and pointed out discrepancies in Wang’s identification, including his false declaration of being Filipino in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. — DVM, GMA Integrated News