An American who was behind the immense local and international success of the Philippines-based construction firm Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Company and a French-Italian philanthropist are a few steps closer to becoming Filipino citizens.
This, after the House Committee on Justice unanimously voted to endorse for immediate passage House Bills 3075 and 2877, granting Joseph Sigelman and Patrick Francois Renucci all the “rights, privileges and prerogatives” of a Filipino citizen.
Authored by Nueva Ecija Rep. Rosanna Vergara, HB 3075 grants Sigelman the Filipino citizenship through legislative action.
Born in New York City in 1971, Sigelman is currently the chief executive officer of AG & P of Manila.
HB 2877, meanwhile, is authored by Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and his wife, Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez of Tingog Sinirangan Partylist.
In the bill approved by the justice panel chaired by Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, the authors asked Congress to declare Renucci a Filipino citizen after registration of the oath of allegiance to the republic.
The Romualdez couple noted that Renucci’s naturalization as a Filipino citizen was endorsed by President Duterte when he inaugurated the rice processing complex in Alang-Alang, Leyte last year.
Renucci established residence in the Philippines after typhoon Yolanda battered Leyte in 2015 “in order to dedicate his life to uplifting the Filipino rice farmers of Leyte from poverty by producing world-class rice for the Filipino people.”
Renucci founded the Chen Yi Agventures Rice Processing Center in Leyte, described as the most technologically advanced in Southeast Asia and largest in Visayas and Mindanao region.
“Willing to make deep personal sacrifices, Renucci has devoted his entire life to accomplishing what he came to the country to do and refuses to go back to his native country," the Romualdez couple said.
Vergara said Sigelman made Manila his home since he set foot in the country in 2004. Together with several shareholders, Sigelman acquired AG & P in 2010.
The lady solon said that under Sigelman’s leadership, AG & P progressed into a “global powerhouse not only in construction and infrastructure modularization but also in LNG (liquefied natural gas) supply chain design, development and gas marketing.”
Under his management, AG& P was able to execute over $1 billion worth of new contracts, much of them related to LNG.
“Under Mr. Sigelman’s stewardship, AG & P has become a respected company not only in the Philippines but also abroad," Vergara stressed.
According to her, Sigelman has demonstrated “his deep love for the Philippines and its people.”
“He wishes to continue to invest significantly both in AG & P and in other domestic ventures to drive Filipino exports and do his part for the economy,” the bill’s author stated.