Hontiveros opposes Filipino citizenship for Li Duan Wang over Pogo ties
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros once again called on her colleagues in the upper chamber to deny Filipino citizenship to Chinese national Li Duan Wang, also known as Mark Ong, who allegedly has ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) actors.
Speaking to reporters at a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday, Hontiveros said Wang’s character raises many red flags.
According to the opposition lawmaker, the Chinese national is a “junket operator” for Nine Dynasty Casino, one of the biggest POGO operators revealed in earlier hearings by the Senate panel on women.
READ: Vice, gore: A peek into the sinister world of Pogo traffickers
“Sa application ni Mr. Wang para sa naturalization, hindi niya dinisclose na junket operator siya para dyan sa Nine Dynasty. So bakit kung talagang hindi ilegal o legal ang junket, e di bakit niya inilihim at hindi dinisclose? Meron ba siyang kababalagahang ginagawa dito sa ating bansa?” said Hontiveros.
(In Mr. Wang’s application for naturalization, he did not disclose that he was a junket operator for the Nine Dynasty. So if junketing is really not illegal or legal, why did he keep it a secret and not disclose it? Is he doing something important here in our country?)
Article continues after this advertisement“Si Wang, identifying as Mark Ong, ipinakilala niya ang sarili niya bilang Filipino citizen. Filipino citizen na sa Articles of Incorporation at bylaws nung isa sa mga kumpanya niyang Avia International Club, na muli itong Avia hindi rin niya dinisclose sa kanyang naturalization application,” she added.
Article continues after this advertisement(Wang, identifying himself as Mark Ong, introduced himself as a Filipino citizen. Filipino citizen in the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws of one of his companies, Avia International Club, which again he did not disclose in his naturalization application.)
Later into the presser, Hontiveros likewise disclosed that Wang has multiple taxpayer identification numbers, which goes against the country’s policy.
Apart from this, the opposition lawmaker sounded the alarm over Wang’s affiliation with the Philippine Jinjiang Yu Shi Association, which is believed to be related to the united front work of the Communist Party of China.
“Hindi lang ito simpleng pamemeke ng citizenship sa isang local civil registrar sa isang probinsya natin, dito mismo sa Senado at House of Representatives. So huwag po sana tayong magpaloko dito,” said Hontiveros.
(This is not just a simple case of forging citizenship at a local civil registrar in one of our provinces, right here in the Senate and House of Representatives. So let’s not be fooled here.)