BI: Foreign students can face intel probe for suspicious acts

Bureau of Immigration Chief Norman Tansingco—CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Foreigners holding student visas may be subjected to an investigation by government intelligence agencies if suspected of conducting illegal activities.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) issued the reminder amid concerns being raised over the increasing presence of Chinese students in areas near military installations, airports and seaports, an issue stoked by the maritime dispute between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea.

READ: Now it’s ‘diplomas for sale’ raising a stink

Two members of the House of Representatives have particularly taken note of the Chinese enrollees in Cagayan, a northern province facing Taiwan and host to an airport and a naval station where American military forces are granted access.

In a statement on Friday, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco cited Executive Order No. 285 issued in 2000, which created an interagency committee on foreign students led by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).

The BI is part of the committee along with the National Bureau of Investigation, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (Nica), Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Education.

‘Inimical to security’

Under the EO, the Nica and NBI are authorized to “check, whenever necessary, the activities of foreign students brought to their attention which appear to be inimical to the security of the State.”

The BI, for its part, is mandated to issue student visas only to foreign nationals who have been endorsed by legitimate schools and CHEd, Tansingco said.

READ: Some Chinese students in Cagayan allegedly pay P2 million to get degrees

He added that all schools accepting foreign nationals are required to submit regular reports to the BI which is tasked with monitoring their visa compliance.

CHEd, on the other hand, would ensure the foreign students’ compliance with education-related policies while Nica is required to launch probes on “suspicious activities.”

Tansingco issued the statement following reports on the influx of Chinese workers and students in the country—particularly in Cagayan Valley. The foreign nationals are now the subject of three resolutions filed in the 19th Congress and calling for an inquiry.

Majority not on-site

In 2023, the BI chief said, a total of 1,516 Chinese nationals were granted student visas in Cagayan, all of them endorsed by a major Philippine university.

“However, reports received only show more than 400 Chinese nationals are on-site, as the school is said to be implementing distance learning,” Tansingco said.

READ: Senators sound alarm over Chinese students’ activities in Cagayan

The relatively large number of foreign enrollees could be attributed to the “postpandemic rebound” and the “aggressive marketing” of schools and government agencies to boost the country’s “educational tourism,” he added.

Hopefully, the BI chief said, any investigation arising from the national security concerns raised regarding the students would “not scare away legitimate students whose stay in the country could greatly help reboost our economy.”

Tansingco said “the national government has actively promoted the country as an education hub in Asia.”

‘Mistrust has basis’

For Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, it doesn’t require rocket science to see a link between the Chinese students and the mounting tensions in the West Philippine Sea dispute.

“You don’t have to be a [rocket] scientist to connect these incidents,” Dela Rosa said in an interview with reporters. “We should be thinking in advance [and] … be one step ahead. This is really alarming. We must be able to establish the real purpose of these people and if being ‘students’ is just their cover.”

A former chief of the Philippine National Police, Dela Rosa joined other senators in urging authorities to look into the matter, especially following reports that some of the Chinese students had paid as much as P2 million to get diplomas without attending classes.

Cagayan province, he noted, is among the areas in northern Luzon that host American troops under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between Washington and Manila.

Dela Rosa, who served as PNP chief under then President Rodrigo Duterte, also lashed back at the Chinese Embassy in Manila for earlier accusing Filipino politicians of “hyping up” the issue about the students.

“It’s normal for us to be wary,” he said. “They (China) should not dictate on Filipinos, particularly on politicians like us, by claiming that we are only ‘hyping’ this up.”

“Our mistrust has historical basis,” he said. “If they are not doing anything bad in the West Philippine Sea, will we be this suspicious?”