FILE PHOTO: Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero during plenary session on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Escudero said China and the Philippines’ territorial dispute “should not deter nor affect economic, cultural, educational, and other forms of exchanges” between the two nations. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said China and the Philippines’ territorial dispute “should not deter nor affect economic, cultural, educational, and other forms of exchanges” between the two nations.
The lawmaker issued the remark amid a controversy about the alleged increase in the Chinese student population in Cagayan’s colleges and universities, and in reaction to civil servant Teresita Ang-See’s statement lambasting what she called “baseless whodunnits of student spies” in the province.
Ang-See said allegations regarding Chinese student spies in Cagayan reeks of “sinophobia and racism.” She also pointed out that neighboring countries take extra measures to entice Chinese tourists and students, but the Philippines, on the other hand, “discourage them from coming by exhibiting blatant racism and racial profiling.”
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Escudero said he “understands” and “tends to agree” where Ang-See is coming from.
“The political differences and or wranglings between states and governments should not affect the individual nationals of both countries absent clear and convincing evidence that the national’s actions are government driven [or] dictated,” he said in a statement.
“As I have said many times over, the territorial dispute between China, the Philippines, and other ASEAN countries should not deter nor affect economic, cultural, educational, and other forms of exchanges and that we should emphasize the things that we agree on instead of those we disagree on much less disagreeing on something that, on its face, is not even disagreeable per se,” he added.
According to Escudero, attracting what he dubbed as “foreign student dollars” serves the Philippine economy very well. He said this is better than “sending our teachers abroad to teach away from their families” and spending “teacher dollars” in a foreign country.
Escudero was among lawmakers who first raised alarm over the alleged rising numbers of Chinese students in Cagayan.
READ: Senators sound alarm over Chinese students’ activities in Cagayan
The senator earlier said Professor Dexter Cabalza, who revealed a supposed scheme where a foreign student in Cagayan pays P2 million in exchange for a diploma or degree, should file a complaint with the Commission on Higher Education regarding the matter.
“A complaint is necessary, I believe, as this is an ‘academic freedom’ issue that can have a serious push back against government regulators with oversight function over tertiary schools,” Escudero told reporters previously.