Cagayan Valley. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Universities and colleges in Tuguegarao City branded as “baseless” and considered “deeply offensive” insinuations that the presence of Chinese students in the city poses a threat to national security.
The Medical Colleges of the Northern Philippines (MCNP), University of Cagayan Valley (UCV), University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao (USLT), and Saint Paul University Philippines (SPUP) even called the innuendos as a “blatant display of racism and sinophobia.”
In a joint statement on Thursday, they pointed out that the enrollment of foreign students in Cagayan province’s universities and colleges only proves their commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and respect for everyone.
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“The insinuation that the presence of Chinese students in the City’s Universities poses a threat to national security is not only baseless but also deeply offensive,” they said.
“It is a blatant display of racism and Sinophobia that has no place in our society, especially within the realm of education,” they added.
They also dismissed claims that 4,600 foreign students are now enrolled in Cagayan schools.
According to them, only SPUP has enrolled foreign students numbering 486 as of April 17, 2024 because MCNP, UCV, and USLT have zero enrolled foreign students.
The four higher education institutions likewise addressed the allegation that Cagayan universities are diploma mills.
They said they found such remark as insulting and somewhat libelous.
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“Students undergo a rigorous vetting process aligned with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) requirements such as completion of academic courses, comprehensive examinations, and thesis/dissertation,” they explained.
They further noted that SPUP’s tuition for foreign students cost around P50,000 and not P2,000,000.
Regarding the the issuance of visas to foreign students, they said it is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Bureau of Immigration (BI), not the provincial or city government and schools.
In a Radyo 630 interview on Friday morning, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said about 1,500 foreigners were granted student visas in 2023.
She said 400 of them “are still on the ground” or attending classes in-person while others shifted to distance learning.
The BI spokesperson said they have yet to check the status of foreigners who are not utilizing the student visas granted to them.