ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos vetoes bill granting Li Duan Wang Filipino citizenship

Marcos vetoes bill granting Li Duan Wang Filipino citizenship

Published Apr 11, 2025 01:58 am

At A Glance

  • Senator Risa Hontiveros has expressed her concern over Li's naturalization, citing information linking him to the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.

President Marcos has rejected the naturalization of controversial Chinese national Li Duan Wang, Malacañang announced on Friday, April 11.

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores)
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores)

In a text message to reporters, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that the President has vetoed Senate Bill 8839, which seeks to grant Philippine citizenship to Li.

In a press briefing, Castro said President Marcos could not turn a blind eye to Li's supposed red flags that were raised by relevant agencies.

"Sa kanyang veto message ay sinabi ng Pangulo (In his veto message, the President said), '...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,'" she said.

"So kung nagkaroon man ng desisyon ang Kongreso na patawan o bigyan ng Philippine citizenship itong si Li Duan Wang, hindi po kumbinsido ang Pangulo (So if the Congress decided to grant Li Duan Wang Filipino citizenship, the President is not convinced)," she added.

The Palace Press Officer, citing the President, said ignoring these warnings is tantamount to betraying one's duty as a Filipino.

"Ang Filipino citizenship ay isang pribilehyo at hindi ipinamimigay nang basta-basta (A Filipino citizenship is a privilege and should not be granted carelessly)," she said.

"Hindi din ito dapat gawing kasangkapan upang pagbigyan ang pagsulong ng mga kaduda-dudang interes (It also shouldn't be used as a tool to advance questionable interests)," she added.

According to President Marcos, granting Filipino citizenship is more than granting legal rights. It also opens up the full honor of Filipino history, race, and heritage. 

"Kaya dapat ang tatanggap nito ay sumasailalim din sa mga adhikain ng ating bayan (Therefore, those who receive it should also align with the aspirations of our nation)," Castro said.

The Senate approved House Bill 8839 in January.

Senator Risa Hontiveros has expressed her concern over Li's naturalization, citing information linking him to the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.

"Hindi sinabi na naging incorporator siya ng isang POGO service provider. Hindi din niya sinabi na junket operator siya sa ngayon. Walang kahit ano tungkol sa kanyang gambling links na lumitaw sa pagsisiyasat ng kung sino siya. Sadyang itinago (He didn't disclose that he was an incorporation of a POGO service or that he is a junket operator. His gambling links didn't surface during deliberations. It was deliberately hidden)," she said.

"He must be hiding something dubious if he deliberately concealed these pertinent facts from Congress," she added.

In February, Castro said Marcos would go over the enrolled bill once submitted to the Palace.

"Pangako po ng Pangulo ay aaralin po ito nang mabuti bago po ito mapirmahan or kung ito man ay mabi-veto (The President promised to study it carefully before signing or rejecting it)," she said.

Related Tags

Bongbong Marcos claire castro veto naturalization Li Duan Wang President Marcos
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.