President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed the bill seeking to grant Philippine citizenship to Li Duan Wang, also known as Mark Ong, Malacañang confirmed on Friday.

In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro confirmed the veto of the legislative naturalization, stating that the President could not ignore the serious warnings from national agencies regarding the applicant's character and potential influence, which were deemed to pose grave concerns.

"Kinukumpirma po vineto po ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ang House Bill No. 8839 na kilala bilang An Act Granting Philippine Citizenship to Li Duan Wang," said Castro.

"Sa kanyang veto message ay sinabi ng Pangulo and I quote ‘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, a clear and present danger.'," she added.

According to Castro, Marcos remarked that to ignore the warning would be a failure to uphold the government’s responsibility to the nation.

She further explained that Filipino citizenship is a privilege, not something that is granted lightly, and must not be exploited to serve suspicious or self-serving agendas.

"Sinabi rin ng Pangulo na kapag tayo ay nagbigay ng Filipino citizenship, higit pa sa mga legal na karapatan ang ating ibinibigay," she added.

Castro said the President wants to assure the public that he is not turning a blind eye to suspicious interests and that he carefully reviews all information and data related to the individual being considered for naturalization.

Prior to this, Senator Risa Hontiveros firmly objected to granting naturalization to the foreign national, pointing to supposed red flags in his character and background.

Hontiveros, in a past Senate hearing, claimed that Li Duan Wang was reportedly involved as an incorporator of the New Oriental Club 88 Corporation.