The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday, April 22, said appropriate intelligence agencies should conduct background checks on Chinese students enrolled in different universities in the country to ease concerns that their presence is a security threat.
Interviewed on DZRH Dos Por Dos, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval recommended that the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency check the background information of Chinese students, particularly their location and activities.
#LiveSaDZRH: Dana Sandoval, Immigration spokesperson sa foreign students sa Cagayan: Sa tala natin, nakapag-issue tayo ng 1,500 student visa, lahat sila sumailalim sa tamang proseso. #DosPorDos #SamaSamaTayoPilipino
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) April 21, 2024
LIVE: https://t.co/lFFkdekOsH pic.twitter.com/NVW4eHs7Gv
But she took note that the Chinese students in the country underwent the right process, and were endorsed by legitimate universities and by the Commission on Higher Education (CHR).
"On the visa aspect, wala tayong nakikita na kakaiba, pero hindi natin inaalis yung posibilidad na maaring tingnan ito doon sa security aspect .... Hindi naman natin inaalis yung possiblidad na kahit kumpleto ang dokumento, merong kakaiba na ginagawa. Marapat lamang na tingnan ng intelligence agencies," Sandoval said.
The BI official hopes that the background checks will not be the reason that legitimate students are sent back to their home country.
Last week, CHED denied the reported influx of Chinese students in colleges and universities in Cagayan, but confirmed that St. Paul University - Tuguegarao City has a "significant number of Chinese students enrolled."
As per the BI spokesperson, 1,500 student visas were issued to Chinese students in Cagayan, and more than 400 of which are attending face-to-face classes at St. Paul University in Tugegarao City.
"On the ground, nasa mahigit 400 na lang ang estudyante doon [on-site] primarily because ang paliwanag ng paaralan na ang programs nila ay more of distance learning. Ang in-person [foreign students] nasa 400 na lang. It's St. Paul University, it's a big university at sa tingin namin, maayos naman [ang sistema]," Sandoval noted.
In March, Cagayan 3rd District Rep. Joseph 'Jojo' Lara sought a House probe into the "surge of alleged Chinese students enrolling" in Tuguegarao City to ensure the national security amidst the China-Philippines tension in the West Philippine Sea.
