BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco has spoken, I bet much to the chagrin of some politicians who have been recklessly putting our very own country in a bad light by making it appear that the Philippines’ educational system is corrupt and can be bought.
According to the BI chief, there are no anomalies in the issuance of student visas to Chinese students spread in various educational institutions in the country.
The issuance of student visas is aboveboard; and they were issued after being vetted and endorsed by schools.
The BI Commissioner made these pronouncements under oath while attending the recent hearing of the Committee on Justice at the House of Representatives.
There, he added that the foreign students were able to acquire their visas after being endorsed by a legitimate Higher Education Institution (HEI), as accredited or recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“The rise in foreign students in the country is a product of the Philippines’ aggressive marketing to promote the country as an educational hub in Asia, and not because of any anomaly,” he said.
“For the past years, the Philippine government has been promoting the country as a regional and global education hub,” he added.
The BI chief also stated that foreign nationals who acquire their student visas may be subjected to checks by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as part of their role in the IACFS, for activities “which appear to be inimical to the security of the State”.
“Actions of foreign students are, however, worth looking into by government intelligence agencies given that it is well within their mandate and is necessary for ensuring national security,” Tansingco said.
All HEIs that accept foreign nationals as students are required to submit their regular reports to the DFA, which in turn shall perform initial vetting.
The BI, on the other hand, is to monitor their visa compliance while CHED ensures compliance with school-related policies.
Alongside all these, the NICA and NBI are to conduct investigations on suspicious activities.
Thus, Tansingco stated that the rise in the number of foreign nationals studying in our local schools is not a result of anomalies or abuse in governance at the BI.
“Their numbers rise because the government is succeeding in getting foreigners to trust our educational system,” he said.
CHED, during the hearing, shared that under Executive Order No. 285, the Interagency Committee on Foreign Students (IACFS) is mandated to promote the Philippines as a center for education in the Asia Pacific Region by encouraging students to study in the country.
The BI is part of the inter-agency, headed by CHED, together with the NBI, NICA, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Education (DepEd)
In 2023, Immigration issued a total of 24,191 student visas to foreign nationals in the Philippines.
Of the number, only 1,516 Chinese nationals have been granted student visas in Cagayan and they were all endorsed by a major Philippine university.
As of April this year, only 485 are currently enrolled with only 96 onsite with student visas, the BI added.
The supposed fear of these Chinese students being created by some politicians by picturing the students as possible threats to national security, to me, is overkill.
Note that based on the records gathered by the BI, the US has given student visas to 289,526 Chinese nationals in their own country.
Malaysia, which like the Philippines is also a claimant to the West Philippines Sea, has issued student visas to about 130,000 Chinese nationals in 2022 alone.
These figures are staggering, compared to some 1,500 only, that have been issued the same kind of visas here in the Philippines.
Allegations that these Chinese students have paid their way into the country’s educational system, sans any solid proof, are such a source of embarrassment not only for our educators but the entire country as well. I hope the accusers realize this.
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