Hong Kong jeweler, newsprint heiress, Spanish principal granted Phl citizenship

A Hong Kong jeweler, an American newsprint heiress and a Spanish high school principal were granted Philippine citizenship Monday, October 1.

The Senate passed its counterpart measures of several bills that emanated from the House of Representatives granting Filipino citizenship to Kwok-Hing Carlos Yeung, Mayleen Ting and Fr. Julian C. Mazana in recognition of their philanthropy and contribution to their respective communities.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, in his counterpart Senate Bill 1602, cited Yeung, a successful Hong Kong jeweler who settled in the Philippines in 1978, for his business ventures that created employment opportunities for thousands of Filipinos.

"(But) it is in the area of philanthropy that Mr. Yeung excels and has touched tens of thousands of lives in Cebu and nearby provinces since 1991," Zubiri said in his explanatory note.

"Citizenship is a high privilege as well as an awesome responsibility. It requires physical presence, integration into the community, investment in a nation's future and a demonstrable compassion for your fellowmen," he said.

"If this is the standard, Kwok-Hing Carlos Yeung has shown that he is and should be a citizen of the Philippines," he added.

The Senate also passed a counterpart measure of House Bill 7179 granting Philippine citizenship to Ting, who was born in Portland, Oregon, and migrated to the Philippines in 1978.

Her parents, Elon Ting and Sylvia S. Y. Chen, established the Trust International Paper Company (TIPCO) in 1987 in Mabalacat, Pampanga. TIPCO specializes in the production of quality newsprint, printing and writing paper utilizing recycled materials.

Also granted citizenship was Fr. Julian, an Augustinian priest who has been in the country for more than two decades now. He is presently the assistant principal of the High School Department of the Colegio San Agustin.

Fr. Julian was born in Spain in 1961. In 1990, he was assigned to Colegio San Agustin. Since then, Fr. Julian has been actively involved in the operations of the school and in molding students to be dynamic, responsive and brilliant members of the society.