Balita.org: Your Premier Source for Comprehensive Philippines News and Insights! We bring you the latest news, stories, and updates on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, economy, and more. Stay tuned to know everything you wish about your favorite stars 24/7.

Contacts

  • Owner: SNOWLAND s.r.o.
  • Registration certificate 06691200
  • 16200, Na okraji 381/41, Veleslavín, 162 00 Praha 6
  • Czech Republic

Who is Liduan Wang, the Chinese national approved for Filipino citizenship?

MANILA, Philippines — Following a year full of controversial probes and allegations of Chinese espionage in the Philippines, the Senate has approved the citizenship of Liduan Wang, a Chinese native with alleged ties to Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) players.

Wang, originally from Fujian, China, has been residing in the Philippines since 1991.  

In 2023, a bill seeking his naturalization was filed by Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay, Second District) and Rep. Juliet Ferrer (Negros Occidental, Fourth District), and it was approved that same year. 

The measure was carried over to the Senate and was sponsored by Sen. Francis Tolentino in 2024. 

However, several "red flags" were raised regarding Wang's naturalization, particularly due to the controversy surrounding POGOs, which have attracted an influx of foreign workers, mostly from China. Many of these workers have since been categorized by the government as victims of human trafficking.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who led the Senate investigations into POGOs in 2024, protested Wang’s naturalization, citing concerns over his past actions.

Hontiveros said that Wang had failed to disclose his role as an operator of the 9 Dynasty junket group, which shared officers with the illegal POGO hub Rivendell in Pasay.

The senator also said that Wang, who had presented himself as "Mark Ong," listed himself as Filipino in the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Avia International Club—an alleged karaoke joint catering only to Chinese nationals.

“You cannot be a Filipino citizen while applying to be one. Both facts cannot be true at the same time. This clear lie already suggests bad faith on the part of the applicant,” Hontiveros said. 

Wang also allegedly had multiple Tax Identification Numbers (TINs), which Hontiveros presented during the Senate hearing.

The opposition senator also raised concerns over Wang's affiliation with the Philippine Jinjiang Yuxi Association, rumored to be linked to the United Front work of the Communist Party of China.

During deliberations, Hontiveros pointed to a photograph of Wang with Duanren Wu, the alleged mastermind behind a POGO operation in Porac, Pampanga. Wu is also reportedly the

Read more on philstar.com
DMCA