Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco has urged for a quick inter-agency action in response to the growth in Chinese students in the Philippines. 

Tansingco stated that he has already requested that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which chairs the Inter-Agency Committee on Foreign Students (IACFS), convene a high-level conference of members to define each agency's responsibility in allowing foreigners to study in the country.

This request stems from recent concerns over the number of Chinese nationals studying in Tuguegarao, which prompted both the House of Representatives and the Senate to launch an investigation.

The Bureau stated that after reviewing its records, it discovered that 1,516 Chinese nationals had been issued student visas in Cagayan, all of which were approved by a major Philippine university.

However, based on the reports, as of April, there are only 485 enrolled students, with only 96 of them enrolled on campus and holding legitimate student visas. 

"The Philippine government has been promoting the country as a regional and global education hub. In fact, there are national campaigns that have greatly helped boost the number of foreign students in the country," said Tansingco.

In 2023, the BI issued a total of 24,189 student visas to various nationalities.

A total of 16,190 were given to Chinese nationals throughout the Philippines, with the majority of them located in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Chinese nationals continue to be the primary source of foreign students in the majority of countries.

In the United States, 289,526 Chinese nationals were granted student visas in 2022, while in Malaysia, approximately 130,000 were awarded. In Thailand, about 20,000 Chinese students enrolled during the same year.

The Bureau stated that Executive Order No. 285 governs overseas students.

CHED chairs the IACFS, which was established in 2000.

The interagency also includes the BI, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Any school that accepts foreign nationals as students must provide regular reports to all IACFS organizations.

The data is used by the BI to monitor visa compliance; CHED to check compliance with education-related policies; and NBI and NICA to investigate suspicious activity.

"We have requested the high-level meeting to reiterate our previous requests for immediate joint inspections and for it to become a regular conduct by the IACFS given new developments in national security concerns," said Tansingco.

"We also believe that it is high time that the interagency be active in matters of national security by including security assessment as a regular agenda item in meetings," he added.

The BI chief also revealed that the Bureau has provided data on student distribution to members of the interagency for mapping to be utilized by the NBI and NICA in their investigations against suspicious activities of foreign nationals.

Tansingco agreed that the activities of foreign students that might be inimical to the security of the state are worth looking into by government intelligence agencies, as they are necessary in ensuring national security.

"We will support the security assessments of NBI and NICA by providing the initial data that can be used for investigations," said Tansingco.

This Monday 13 May, the IACFS is set to convene.