House leaders call for stricter screening of Chinese students amid security concerns

TWO leaders of the House of Representatives on Monday called for more stringent screening measures for Chinese students entering the country due to mounting security concerns.

Assistant Majority Leaders Jil Bongalon (Ako Bicol Partylist) and Francisco Paolo Ortega V (La Union, 1st District) made the call as the Inter-Agency Committee on Foreign Students (IACFS) met to discuss the influx of Chinese nationals studying in the Philippines. 

“This is a welcome development because what is at stake here is our national security, and one of the non-negotiables in our country is our national security,” Bongalon said during the regular press conference at the House of Representatives.

“We want to make sure that the screening process of these students who are interested in entering the Philippines and having their education here should undergo a very strict process,” he added.

Bongalon highlighted the need to ensure that these foreign students do not pose a security risk or threat to the Philippines. 

Ortega, for his part, emphasized the importance of the inter-agency collaboration in addressing issues such as the influx of foreign nationals. 

“I would just like to urge itong binuong interagency to look into the issue kasi talagang trabaho nila ‘yan,” Ortega said.

“Part of their work is also looking at trends, projecting trends ng national and international bakit may influx ng ganitong number of people dito sa lugar na ito,” he added.

He further stressed the need for government agencies to anticipate and address trends proactively. 

“Dapat po ‘yung ating mga national agencies nakikita din po nila, may projections din po sila and they should have reason or dapat may gathering sila ng facts kung bakit dito sa Cagayan ang daming influx ng students. Something like that,” he pointed out.

IACFS, comprising the Commission on Higher Education, Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Department of Foreign Affairs, and Department of Education, convened a crucial meeting on Monday. 

The meeting followed calls from both houses of Congress for investigations into the surge of Chinese students in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan province.

In a related development, Bongalon proposed that the House should consider initiating a parallel investigation into the alleged ties between Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban town in Tarlac and China.

Guo is currently under investigation in the Senate for her alleged involvement in facilitating and supporting an illegal Chinese gambling site in Bamban.

Senators have raised doubts about Guo’s identity, even questioning if she holds Chinese citizenship due to her unclear background, including her lack of formal education.

“On the issue of Mayor Alice Guo, I guess it’s a possibility to have a parallel investigation here in House of Representatives, because this is very serious and at the same time very alarming,” Bongalon said.

“Imagine a Chinese, well allegedly isa pong Chinese person, was able to register herself 17 years after na siya po ay ipinanganak, so late registration po ‘yung nangyari,” he continued.

“This concerns about the citizenship of this particular individual, lalong-lalo na we are talking about a public official, and under our Constitution, those who want to serve our country and to join the electoral process as candidates for a local position, they should be Filipino citizens.” (END)

———— MULA SA KAMARA DE REPRESENTANTES, TERENCE MORDENO GRANA, NAG-UULAT PARA SA ARMED FORCE RADIO, BOSES NG KAWAK PILIPINO ————— This is Terence Mordeno Grana, reporting for AFP Community News, One AFP for Stronger Philippines.