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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senate probe into entry of Chinese 'students' in Philippines sought

Senate probe into entry of Chinese 'students' in Philippines sought

Published Apr 23, 2024 08:00 am

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, April 23 filed a resolution asking the Senate to investigate the entry of foreigners in the Philippines using falsified documents to pose as Filipinos.

Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution No. 1001 following the reported influx of some 4,600 Chinese students in a private institution in Cagayan.

In filing the resolution, the senator urged the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security to focus the probe on the presence of foreigners in areas of the country critical to national defense.

“Sa panahong kaliwa’t kanan ang pag-water cannon ng Tsina sa mga Pilipinong barko, siguro naman may karapatan tayong maalarma. Siguro naman hindi masama magduda (At a time when China is firing water cannons at Filipino ships left and right, maybe we have the right to be alarmed. Maybe it's not bad to doubt),” Hontiveros said.

“I have led countless Senate inquiries that revealed how foreigners not only abuse our immigration processes, but also use fake documents to obtain birth certificates and Philippine passports. It is only natural that we look into if this trend is, in any way, related to Chinese harassment in the West Philippine Sea,” she stressed

“The Philippines is always open to young people from all over the world who want to study in our schools. It builds dialogue and global exchanges. Pero ibang usapan pag peke ang papeles at cover lang pala ang pag-enrol sa ating mga paaralan (But it's a different story when the papers are forged and the enrollment in our schools is just a cover),” the senator added.

Hontiveros pointed out the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok has also reported the arrest of four Chinese nationals who were posing as Filipinos in Thailand.

Thai authorities alleged these Chinese nationals were using Philippine Passports, birth certificates issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and Philippine Postal Identity Cards. 

Similarly, Cagayan Rep. Joseph "Jojo" Lara also disclosed reports that agents or fixers were charging foreign “students” P1 million to enter Cagayan, with 80 percent  allegedly going to an agent or fixer, and the remaining 20 percent to the school involved.

“The Philippines is not for sale. Nobody should treat our national identity like goods to buy or sell,” Hontiveros said.

“Sa dami ng mga report tungkol sa mga black market na ito, magtataka ka talaga kung may kinalaman ba ito sa ating pambansang seguridad. Kailangan maliwanagan tayo kung may papel dito ang mismong gubyerno ng Beijing (With the amount of reports about these black markets, you will really wonder if it has anything to do with our national security. We need to be enlightened if the Beijing government itself has a role in this,” the lawmaker added.

Hontiveros’ resolution also cited the case regarding the presence of a large group of foreign nationals who, at certain times, are allegedly in military formation and would jog around Multinational Village in Parañaque City.

Agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) described them wearing the same black athletic attire, sporting uniform, and military-style haircuts.

The AFP is also now investigating the reported influx of Chinese nationals enrolling in higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Cagayan.

Hontiveros noted that the subdivision in Paranaque is near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and is just five kilometers away from military camp.

Cagayan, on the other hand is near Taiwan, which is considered a flash point in the Indo-Pacific region. Cagayan is also one of the sites of the Philippine-US’ Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

“The Senate must investigate these disturbing patterns. Common sense tells us to cover our bases. We can never be too careful,” the senator stressed.

Related Tags

Senate probe Risa Hontiveros Cagayan Valley region AFP Chinese nationals
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