Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Representative Rodante D. Marcoleta 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
 This bill seeks to grant Philippine citizenship to Dr. Sooyeon Hwang. 
Section 1, Article IV of the 1987 Constitution identifies who are citizens of the 
Philippines. Foreign nationals who wish to acquire Filipino citizenship may do so 
through naturalization in accordance with law, which includes naturalization by direct 
act of Congress. 
Dr. Sooyeon Hwang is a Korean national born on May 28, 1960 in Seoul, 
South Korea.  He is the founder and member of the Board of Trustees of the Pacific 
InterContinental College – Philippines, Chairperson of the Pacific InterContinental 
College Global Foundation, and Chairperson of the Pacific InterContinental College – 
USA.  He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Sebastien Montessori, Inc. and 
Monte Cristo Research and Educational Institute, Inc., which are both located in 
Cavite. 
Dr. Hwang first visited the Philippines in 2000 and started to learn about the 
culture and status of the Philippine education system.  Since then, he envisioned to 
provide education to more Filipinos that face physical challenges in going to school to 
be educated.  In 2006, he founded the Pacific InterContinental College, Philippine 
branch located in Las Piñas City and introduced distance learning to Filipino students 
through online mode of education degree programs.  To further promote the education 
of physically challenged Filipinos, he provides home schooling for the elementary and 
high school students through Monte Cristo Research and Educational Institute, Inc.  
The distance learning and home schooling were introduced by Dr. Hwang long before 
the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Dr. Hwang envisions to make the Philippines as a “world teacher nation” and 
contributes in developing the country as a “nation of teachers in the world” by 
October 10, 2023
2:45 pm
9401


preparing a center for English education in the country and providing scholarship 
grants to thousands of aspiring public school teachers to obtain master’s and doctoral 
degree. Since 2015, the Pacific InterContinental College has provided scholarship 
grants to public school teachers comprising of twelve (12) students in the 
undergraduate degree program, four thousand seven hundred thirty-three (4,733) 
students in the master’s degree program and five hundred ninety-three (593) students 
in the doctoral degree program. A total of five thousand three hundred thirty-eight 
(5,338) public school teachers benefited from the scholarship grants.  
With the Philippines as the center of the Pacific InterContinental College 
educational efforts, Dr. Hwang aims to provide education to more Filipino students. 
He purchased four (4) private schools that offer elementary and high school programs. 
Two of the four (4) private schools, Sebastien Montessori, Inc. and Monte Cristo 
Research and Educational Institute, Inc., are already operating.  He wanted to become 
a Filipino citizen in order to do more for the country’s education system.  Being a 
Filipino citizen will enable him to contribute more to the country’s development and 
progress through his efforts to innovate the education system with distance learning 
and home schooling.  
Dr. Hwang sees the Philippines as the country where he wants to spend the rest 
of his life and he is looking forward to educating more Filipinos across the country. 
With all the notable contributions of Dr. Hwang for the Philippines, particularly in 
education, granting him citizenship will greatly benefit the country. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is respectfully sought. 
RODANTE D. MARCOLETA


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
Introduced by Representative Rodante D. Marcoleta 
AN ACT 
1 
GRANTING PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP TO DR. SOOYEON HWANG 
2 
3 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
4 
Congress assembled: 
5 
6 
SECTION 1.  Dr. Sooyeon Hwang is hereby granted Philippine Citizenship 
7 
with all the rights, privileges and prerogatives, as well as the duties and obligations 
8 
appurtenant thereto, under the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of the 
9 
Philippines.  
10 
SEC. 2.  Dr. Sooyeon Hwang shall take the Oath of Allegiance to the Republic 
11 
of the Philippines before an officer duly authorized to administer the same.  The Oath 
12 
of Allegiance shall be registered with the Bureau of Immigration. 
13 
SEC. 3.  Upon registration of the Oath of Allegiance, the Bureau of 
14 
Immigration shall issue a Certificate of Naturalization to Dr. Sooyeon Hwang who 
15 
shall thereupon enter into the full enjoyment of Philippine citizenship. 
16 
SEC. 4.  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
17 
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
18 
Approved, 
19 
9401