Spies or students? Philippines worries influx of Chinese nationals

SENATOR RISA Hontiveros filed a resolution to investigate the national security implications of foreigners using falsified or illegally-obtained documents to pose as Filipinos, as there have been recent reports of a spike in Chinese enrollees in higher education institutions using questionable entry credentials.

In Proposed Senate Resolution No. 1001, she urged the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security to focus the probe on the presence of foreigners in areas of the country critical to our national defense.

“Sa panahong kaliwa't kanan ang pag-water cannon ng Tsina sa mga Pilipinong barko, siguro naman may karapatan tayong maalarma. Siguro naman hindi masama magduda. I have led countless Senate inquiries that revealed how foreigners not only abuse our immigration processes, but also use fake documents to obtain birth certificates and Philippine passports. It is only natural that we look into if this trend is, in any way, related to Chinese harassment in the West Philippine Sea,” Hontiveros said.

“The Philippines is always open to young people from all over the world who want to study in our schools. It builds dialogue and global exchanges. Pero ibang usapan pag peke ang papeles at cover lang pala ang pag-enrol sa ating mga paaralan,” she added.

The Philippine Embassy in Bangkok has even reported that four Chinese nationals were apprehended in Thailand for posing as Filipinos using Philippine Passports, birth certificates issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority, and Philippine Postal Identity Cards.

Similarly, Cagayan Rep. Joseph Lara said he has received reports from his constituents that agents or fixers were charging foreign "students" P1 million to enter Cagayan, with 80% allegedly going to an agent or fixer, and the remaining 20% to the school involved.

"The Philippines is not for sale. Nobody should treat our national identity like goods to buy or sell. Sa dami ng mga report tungkol sa mga black market na ito, magtataka ka talaga kung may kinalaman ba ito sa ating pambansang seguridad. Kailangan maliwanagan tayo kung may papel dito ang mismong gubyerno ng Beijing," Hontiveros said.

The resolution also cited an incident in which agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Bureau of Investigation questioned residents of Multinational Village in Parañaque City over the presence of a large group of foreign nationals who, at certain times, were allegedly in military formation, and would jog around the subdivision while wearing the same black athletic attire, sporting uniform, military-style haircuts.

The AFP is now also investigating the reported influx of foreign students enrolling in Higher Educational Institutions in the province of Cagayan.

"Itong subdivision sa Parañaque ay katabi ng NAIA, at limang kilometro lang ang layo mula sa mga kampo natin. Ang Cagayan naman ay malapit sa Taiwan, na itinuturing na potential flashpoint sa Indo-Pacific region. The Senate must investigate these disturbing patterns. Common sense tells us to cover our bases. We can never be too careful," Hontiveros said. (Mindanao Examiner)