Foreign students may be subjected to intel probe —BI

Foreign nationals with student visas may be subjected to government intelligence investigation for activities that “appear to be inimical to the security of the State,” the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Friday.

Citing Executive Order No. 285, s. 2000, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Friday said foreign students may be subjected to checks by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Under the law, the BI may only issue student visas to foreign nationals who have been endorsed by legitimate schools and by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). 

All schools with foreign students, Tansingco said, are required to submit reports to the BI, CHED, and NICA. These agencies shall monitor their visa compliance, ensure compliance with education-related policies, and conduct investigations on suspicious activities, respectively.

The BI issued the statement amid expressions of alarm over the supposed high number of Chinese students in Cagayan, a province near Taiwan.

According to the BI, a total of 1,516 Chinese nationals were granted student visas in Cagayan for 2023, all endorsed by a major Philippine university. 

Reports showed that around 400 were on-site due to distance learning.

“The rise in students may be attributed to post-pandemic rebound, as well as the aggressive marketing of schools and government agencies to boost the country’s educational tourism,” the BI said.

Despite this, Tansingco said that the actions of the students “is worth looking at by government intelligence agencies.”

Tansingco also hoped that the possible checks of the government will not prevent legitimate foreign students from continuing their studies in the Philippines.

CHED

For its part, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) urged University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Professor Chester Cabalza to file formal complaints against the Chinese students' alleged payment to the university in exchange for higher education credentials.

News reports quoted Cabalza, saying that residents allegedly told him that the foreign students were paying at least P2 million to obtain degrees without fulfilling the necessary academic requirements. 

“This is a serious allegation that universities are accepting foreign students and are ‘being used as milking cows’,” said CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III in a press statement. 

“The Commission strongly urges Cabalza to formalize his complaint with the necessary evidence against St. Paul University Philippines in Tuguegarao with CHED. We will not hesitate to start an investigation and ensure that due process is observed for all involved parties,” he said.

De Vera added: “In parallel, the Commission reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that academic institutions under its purview operate within the bounds of Philippine laws and regulations and in concern with the nation's interests”. 

Cagayan Representative Joseph "Jojo" Lara is seeking a House inquiry on the supposed 4,600 Chinese students in one private university alone in Cagayan.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, has started investigating the matter.

Private higher education institutions in Cagayan have denied reports on the supposed influx of Chinese students in the province.  —Joahna Lei Casilao/Sundy Locus/KBK, GMA Integrated News