Bienvenido Marañon gained closer towards becoming a Filipino citizen after the Senate passed on the second reading a bill seeking his naturalization.
The bill authored by Senator Migs Zubiri and co-sponsored by Senator Richard Gordon got the nod during a plenary session held Monday, March 9.
No interpellations or amendments were made, thus paving the way for the Senate to approve the bill in a swift manner.
The upper chamber is scheduled to tackle the bill for third and final reading on Monday, March 16, before it is sent to Malacanang for President Duterte’s signature.
A House version of the bill was already approved on the third and final reading last month.
Marañon is hoping to gain citizenship in order to be eligible to play for the Philippine Azkals in international competitions, including the World Cup/Asian Cup Qualifiers and the AFF Suzuki Cup.
With the way things are handled at the Senate since it was discussed in the Committee on Justice and Human Rights chaired by Gordon, the approval of the bill is all but a mere formality.