Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
Nineteenth Congress 
Third Regular Session 
            HOUSE BILL NO. 10903 
Introduced by HON. KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to grant Philippine citizenship to Mr. PAUL EDMUND S. CUYEGKENG, 
giving him all the rights and privileges as well as the duties and obligations appurtenant thereto 
under our Constitution and existing laws. 
Paul Edmund S. Cuyegkeng was born in Manila on 26 November 1948. He is the holder 
of Alien Certificate of Registration (A.C.R.) No. A-68501 issued at Manila on 17 July 1950. 
Notably, he is the legitimate native-born child of Andres Cu Uh Chuan who has become a citizen 
by naturalization, as evidenced by his Certificate of Naturalization No. 2166 granted by the Court 
of First Instance on 29 May 1956. From birth until 1973, he resided in the Philippines where he 
finished his primary, secondary and tertiary education in De La Salle College. He lost his Filipino 
citizenship when stayed in the U.S. to work after obtaining his post-graduate degree.  
Mr. Cuyegkeng is currently the CEO of Sumifru Singapore Pte. Ltd (Sumifru)., a 
multinational company which produces cavendish bananas and other fresh fruits with a production 
facility in Mindanao employing or 18,000 Filipinos. Prior to joining Sumifru, he also served as the 
President of Dole Asia. As the leader of both organizations, he was instrumental in leading the 
rapid expansion of the Philippine banana industry. In 2011, the Philippines became the second 
leading banana exporter in the world and has, for the most part, maintained this position until 2021. 
Under his leadership, Dole Asia and Sumifru created direct employment for about 50,000 Filipinos 
plus thousands more in indirect labor and supporting services in the production of bananas, 
pineapples, and papayas. The economic impact of job creation has been instrumental in the 
development of local communities as most of these plantings are situated in undeveloped areas in 
Mindanao. Job creation for our fellow Filipinos was also supplemented by his advocacy for the 
small growers program which gives aid to around 2000 growers in Mindanao. Today, the children 
of these growers have become professionals such as lawyers, accountants, engineers, and 
entrepreneurs.  
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Furthermore, Mr. Cuyegkeng has been active in the promotion of the Philippine agriculture 
export industry. He has participated in our government’s trade delegations in other countries and 
has also been made a consultant of various administrations in the area of agriculture.  
Truly, Mr. Cuyegkeng has been a major contributor to Philippine agriculture and our 
economy – He is passionate about agricultural research and improving the production of Philippine 
export crops. Reacquiring his Filipino citizenship will allow him to be more efficient and effective 
in contributing to the improvement of the Philippine agricultural export industry.  
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
     KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN 
District Representative, 2nd District of Ilocos Sur 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
Nineteenth Congress 
Third Regular Session 
            HOUSE BILL NO. 10903 
Introduced by HON. KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN 
AN ACT 
GRANTING PHILIPPINE CITIZENSHIP TO MR. PAUL EDMUND S. CUYEGKENG 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled; 
SECTION 1. Mr. Paul Edmund S. Cuyegkeng is hereby granted Philippine Citizenship with all the 
rights, privileges and prerogatives, as well as the duties and obligations appurtenant thereto under 
the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. 
SECTION 2. Mr. Paul Edmund S. Cuyegkeng shall take the Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of 
the Philippines before an officer duly authorized to administer the same. The Oath of Allegiance 
shall be registered with the Bureau of Immigration. 
SECTION 3. Upon registration of the Oath of Allegiance, the Bureau of Immigration shall issue a 
Certificate of Naturalization to Mr. Paul Edmund S. Cuyegkeng who shall thereupon enter into the 
full enjoyment of Philippine citizenship. 
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette 
or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,