THE House of Representatives will resume on Wednesday its inquiry into the surge of Chinese students enrolling in various higher educational institutions (HEIs) in the country, especially in Cagayan province and other areas in Luzon.
The committee on justice chaired by Negros Occidental Rep. Juliet Marie de Leon will take lead in the inquiry on the basis of House Resolutions 1666 and 1703 filed by Cagayan Rep. Joseph ‘Jojo’ Lara and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., respectively, to ensure national security amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In the regular press briefing at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers shared that data gathered show about 16,000 Chinese students enrolled in various universities in Luzon alone.
“Sixteen thousand po iyan, napakalaking number at masteral courses po iyung kinukuha nila at karamihan sa kanila ay hindi naman ho marunong magsalita ng Ingles,” Barbers said.
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Barbers added that some of these Chinese students are even able to secure fake documents to prove that they are Filipino citizens, such as birth certificates.
“Nakakuha sila ng Filipino passport, nakakuha sila ng driver’s license, nakakakuha ho din sila ng gun license. So yun ang malungkot. Kapag ang mga ito ay nakahawak ng mga armas, magtaka na tayo,” he said.
He explained that most Chinese enter the country as tourists, who are able to extend their stay in the country by contacting erring personnel of the Bureau of Immigration who convert their tourist visas into student visas, which the Chinese use to enroll in local universities.
“Meron po silang kausap na tiwaling kawani ng Bureau of Immigration, at ini-extend yung kanilang visa into student visa and enroll sa ating unibersidad,” Barbers said.
He expressed alarm over the number of Chinese nationals registered as students of a university in Cagayan province alone.
“The number is quite alarming considering na sa dinami-dami ng pwede mong pag enrollan, kung ikaw ay banyaga o ikaw ay dayuhan at gusto mong mag-aral sa ibang bansa, hindi po ba dapat ang inyong i-enrollan ay yung mga university na malalaki dito sa ating bansa? Hindi dun sa napakalayong lugar mula sa Metro Manila at ganoon sila karami,” said Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.
