Aussie trader wants to become Pinoy

MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers plan to grant Filipino citizenship to an Australian businessman who has been living in the country for the past 30 years and has been quite critical about the country’s political and economic developments.

Sen. Manuel Roxas II filed Senate Bill No. 2381 to make Peter Leslie Wallace a Filipino. This is the counterpart of House Bill No. 03303 filed by Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra in December 2007.

Roxas said Walllace “is inarguably one of the most prominent political and economic forecasters in the Philippines.”

“His company, The Wallace Business Forum, which was formed in 1982, not only gives advice to more than 160 multinational corporations and aid agencies in the country, but more importantly, also advises the Philippine government on foreign investments and other significant economic concerns,” Roxas said in his bill.

Filipino citizenship can be acquired by filing a petition with the Bureau of Immigration and the courts or through an act of Congress. Bills granting citizenship also require public hearings.

Wallace was born in Australia on June 3, 1939. He began work at the age of 18 as a cadet engineer with Amalgamated Wireless of Australia. A career in sales led him to Manila in 1970 where he worked as marketing manager and chief executive before establishing AYC Consultants in 1982.

He was chief executive of three multinational companies in Manila during the period 1975 to 1981. He served as commodore of the Manila Yacht Club, president of the Caliraya Lake Conservation Society, and is currently a member of almost every business chamber and association in the country.

“One very remarkable contribution of Mr. Wallace to the Philippines is his dedicated involvement in ATRIEV (Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired), which began in 2002, when he was invited to a graduation of blind students of ATRIEV. Inspired by the way blind students endeavor to better themselves and their situation by learning computer skills, Mr. Wallace, through his companies and connections, has been providing aid to ATRIEV by holding fundraisers, assembling the board of directors, generating publicity for the organization, and rendering general advice,” the bill read.

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Wallace personally conducts the marketing campaign to promote the skills of ATRIEV graduates in the Information Technology industry, specifically for corporate transcription services. The Wallace Business Forum and AYC Consultants have given deeper meaning to the celebration of their 25th anniversary when they generously donated to ATRIEV money that was intended for their cocktail celebration. Indeed, Mr. Wallace has made it his personal mission to finding a better life for the vision-impaired,” it added.

Roxas said Wallace is just as much a Filipino, if not more, as any other Filipino in the country.

“Having spent more than half of his life in the Philippines, Mr. Wallace had significantly immersed himself in Philippine culture, tradition, and traits. As a matter of fact, his warmth and hospitality is already very innately Filipino. Truly, the heart and soul of Mr. Wallace reeks of everything that is profoundly Filipino,” he added.

Wallace, however, drew flak yesterday for his toilet humor, when he said that “the world feared Filipinos for having the most explosive sh—,” referring to police findings that the explosion at the Glorietta shopping mall in Makati City last Oct. 19 was caused by methane gas from the sewage system.   – With James Mananghaya