Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called on her colleagues to reject the Filipino citizenship application of Li Duan Wang, also known as Mark Ong, citing his alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities and suspicious personal records.
During her interpellation on the bill seeking to grant citizenship to Wang, Hontiveros presented evidence linking him to Duanren Wu, a fugitive wanted in China and allegedly the mastermind behind a POGO operation in Porac, Pampanga. She showed photos of Wang with Wu at a casino launch in Clark, Pampanga, highlighting their association.
“It should not inspire confidence in us senators that Wang is an associate of a fugitive and a POGO boss embroiled in human trafficking,” Hontiveros stated.
She also revealed that Wang is the operator of the 9 Dynasty junket group, which shares officers with Rivendell, a POGO operation in Pasay that is linked to illegal activities. Wang reportedly did not disclose this connection in his naturalization application.
“It raises questions that he didn’t disclose this. Why hide it?” Hontiveros asked.
In addition, Hontiveros pointed out that Wang had misrepresented himself as a Filipino citizen in official documents for Avia International Club, raising concerns about his credibility.
“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,” she said.
Hontiveros also flagged Wang’s possession of multiple taxpayer identification numbers (TINs), some of which were reportedly canceled or inconsistently used across different entities, including JuanCare Foundation and Avia International Club.
“Having multiple TINs is not legal. If proven that this was done intentionally, Wang could face charges under our laws,” Hontiveros warned.
The senator further raised concerns about Wang’s ties to the Philippine Jinjiang Yuxi Association, which she described as part of the United Front work of the Chinese Communist Party, questioning Wang’s loyalties if granted Filipino citizenship.
“I question where Mr. Wang’s loyalties would be if he is granted Filipino citizenship,” Hontiveros concluded. (PNA)
