THE House committee on justice on Wednesday approved the bill granting Filipino citizenship to Spanish-born Bienvenido Marañon, one of the leading football players in the country.
During its virtual meeting, nobody objected to the committee approval of House Bill (HB) 7427 authored by Manila Rep. Manuel Luis Lopez.
Lopez said Marañon, 34, resided in the Philippines in 2015 and joined the Ceres Football Club.
Marañon played for the Ceres-Negros Team in the Asian Football Club Confederation (AFC) Championship League. The star football player is the leading goal scorer of the Philippine Football League and the all-time top scorer in the AFC Cup after scoring his 35th goal in Ceres-Negros’s 4-0 win against Bali United on March 11, 2020.
“If granted the opportunity to play for the Philippines, Marañon will undoubtedly be an invaluable asset to the national football team, the Azkals and bring pride and honor to the country,” said Lopez.
Marañón expressed his strong desire to become a Filipino after attending the hearing via Zoom.
“For me, I will like to become Filipino because I love the country, I love the people. I feel much love from the people. And I would like to give them the love that I received,” said Marañón.
Marañón added that he wanted to be part of the Azkals and help them reach the World Cup.
Marañón now resides in Bacolod.
