UNITED City Football Club (UCFC) striker Bienvenido Marañon felt great and happy about how his Filipino naturalization process progressed at the House of Representatives.
This after the Justice Committee unanimously approved on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, House Bill No. 7427, which seeks to grant Filipino citizenship to Marañon.
In his testimonial, Marañon desired to become a Filipino because he loves the country and its people. He also loves to play for the national team because he feels like he has been a Filipino since he arrived here.
"I want to help them [Azkals] reach the World Cup, play in the Asian Cup, and win the Suzuki Cup," the El Puerto-born player added.
Before suited up for UCFC this season, Marañon played for the defunct
Ceres-Negros since he arrived in 2015. He steered the club as it reached the Asean Zonal Final of the AFC Cup in 2017 and 2018.
He also made a huge impact in the domestic league helping Ceres-Negros FC grand slam title in the Philippines Football League from 2017 to 2019 and added another for United City FC this 2020 PFL season.
When asked how his family reacted to his naturalization, Marañon shared
that they are also happy about the development and excited about him.
In March, Senator Miguel Zubiri also filed Senate Bill No. 1391 in the upper house, but the status remains pending.