Senator Risa Hontiveros called on the Senate to deny Filipino citizenship to Chinese national Li Duan Wang, also known as Mark Ong, citing his ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
During her interpellation on the citizenship bill for Wang, Hontiveros presented photos of Wang with Duanren Wu, the alleged brains behind the POGO in Porac, Pampanga, godfather of Cassandra Li Ong, and a fugitive wanted in China.
The photos were taken at the exclusive 9 Dynasty casino launch in Clark, Pampanga.
“It should not inspire confidence in us Senators that Wang is an associate of a fugitive and a POGO boss embroiled in human trafficking. Sana suriing mabuti ng mga kapwa ko Senador itong background ni Wang kasi nagwawagayway ang mga red flag ng aplikante,” according to Hontiveros.
“In his application for naturalization, Wang did not even disclose that he is the operator of 9 Dynasty junket group that has shared officers with Rivendell, an illegal POGO scam hub in Pasay. Nakakataas ng kilay na hindi niya sinabi sa application. Bakit niya itinago?”
Hontiveros also revealed that Wang, under the name Mark Ong, misrepresented himself as a Filipino citizen in the incorporation documents of Avia International Club. This information was also omitted from his naturalization application.
“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 raised additional concerns about Avia International Club’s connection to Yatai Spa, linked to self-confessed Chinese spy She Zhijiang.
She noted that Avia and Yatai operate in the same building in Pasay, with Avia listed as the address for 9 Dynasty.
The senator further exposed that Wang possesses multiple taxpayer identification numbers (TINs). One TIN on his Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) ID differs from the TIN for his JuanCare foundation, which is already canceled. He also holds another TIN for Avia, all under the name Mark Ong.
“Sino ba siya talaga? Hindi po legal ang pagkakaroon ng napakaraming TIN. Kung mapatunayan po na sinadya niyang kumuha ng maraming TIN, pwede siya makasuhan sa ilalalim ng ating batas. There is certainly a need to investigate this person further.”
Hontiveros also expressed concern over Wang’s affiliation with the Philippine Jinjiang Yuxi Association, which is reportedly linked to the Communist Party of China’s United Front Work.
“I question where Mr. Wang’s loyalties would be, if he is granted Filipino citizenship by the Philippine Senate,” she said.IMT
