BIENVE Marañon is closing in on securing his Filipino citizenship.
House Bill No. 8631, which is seeking to grant the Spanish striker naturalization status, has passed through the second reading in the House Plenary on Monday.
The bill, which was substituted for House Bill No. 7427 penned by Manila first district Rep. Manny Lopez, is now pending the lower chamber's rules committee and only needs to pass through the third reading in the House of Representatives.
Marañon's bid is expected to be a big boost for the Philippine Azkals' future, giving the national football team a reliable scorer for international competitions.
He has proven himself time and again, latest of which for United City FC as he guided the team to the 2020 Philippines Football League crown.
In conjunction, the upper house has also done its part in making Marañon's pleas a reality with Sen. Miguel Zubiri penning Senate Bill No. 1391.
This, however, remains pending in the committee level as of March 3, 2020.
Once it passes in both houses, Maranon will only need a signature from President Rodrigo Duterte to be a full-fledged Filipino.