Senators are urging the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to look into the alleged sale of degrees to foreign students in Cagayan, with the prices fetching as high as P2 million.

Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero urged security analyst and founding president of the International Development and Security Cooperation (IDSC) Chester Cabalza to file a complaint regarding this with CHEd so that the agency can investigate and issue show-cause orders to St. Paul’s University in Tuguegarao.

"A complaint is necessary, I believe, as this is an 'academic freedom' issue that can have a serious pushback against government regulators with oversight function over tertiary schools," said Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, similarly prodded CHEd to promptly investigate reports on the matter.

"While I strongly support internationalization in our higher education institutions (HEIs), I vehemently oppose any practice allowing the proliferation of diploma mills in our country. Selling diplomas or degrees undermines our efforts to improve the quality of education in the country," he said.

"CHEd must impose appropriate penalties or sanctions on HEIs and their officials who condone such practices. We should send a clear message to our country and the world: diplomas from Philippine HEIs are not for sale," he added.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva told CHEd and the National Security Council (NSC) a similar message.

"This issue does not only diminish the integrity of our education system but might also have implications on our national security," he said.

"We need to ensure that this is not a smokescreen for more questionable Chinese citizens to enter the country, such as workers in illegal POGO operations. We, thus, urge the government to seriously consider implementing a permanent ban on illegal POGO operations in the country," he added.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said that CHEd must look into the issue and to be strict about.

Senator Risa Hontiveros wondered out loud if the controversy was akin to the infamous "pastillas scheme".

"Visa Upon Arrival (VUA) and other immigration processes have been abused in the past, as it enabled the unchecked entry of Chinese nationals working for POGOs," she said.

"Our hearings on the Pastillas Scam led to the suspension of the VUA system at that time. The same might apply in this alarming new development," she added.

Hontiveros mentioned that recently, a Chinese national was caught in Thailand pretending to be Filipino.

"Kahit pala ASEAN region naghahasik ng lagim ang mga ito. Baka konektado din ito sa biglang pagdami ng Chinese students sa Cagayan (Even in the ASEAN region, they are causing mayhem. Maybe this is connected to the influx of Chinese students in Cagayan)," she said.

Hontiveros said she would be filing a Senate resolution on the matter.

"Maliban sa posibleng paglabag sa ating mga proseso sa immigration (Aside from violating our immigration processes), the Senate should look into the reported presence of Chinese nationals around EDCA sites. This is a national security concern that must be addressed," she added.

The reported increase in the number of Chinese students who have enrolled in Cagayan prompted the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to monitor the situation as fears of espionage were floated on social media.