The sudden surge of Chinese students in the country fuels concern that the powers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to convert tourists to student visas might be being "abused."

Rep. Ace Babers of Surigao del Norte said Monday that there is a pressing need to scrap Executive Order 285, which grants the BI to issue student visas to foreign nationals, amid reports that the Chinese nationals granted with such visas rose to a whopping 16,190 last year.

"The 16,200 student visas that the BI granted to Chinese nationals in 2023 is simply unacceptable. Never mind if other countries grant more, we should never use that as our yardstick given our tense relationship with China," said Barbers, who had launched a probe into the inrush of Chinese students in Cagayan where one of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites are located.

Established in 2000, EO 85 governs international students.

It created an Inter-Agency Committee on Foreign Students (IACFS), chaired by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the BI, as members.

The EO allows the BI to issue student visas to foreign nationals endorsed by CHEd and legitimate schools.

Barbers expressed concern that this "particular power by the BI can be abused."

"This arbitrary power to convert visas is the worst legalized scheme that can be used by unscrupulous personnel for monetary gain," he lamented.

"The DFA should be the sole agency in charge of granting visas to foreigners. It alone possesses the expertise to determine whether the applicants are eligible or not," Barbers concluded.

The lawmaker has previously denied that there was "Sinophobia" or racial discrimination in his campaign, claiming it was more of a concern of national security, taking into account the escalating geopolitical tensions between the Philippines and China over the hotly contested West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez made a similar call over the weekend saying the sudden inflow of Chinese students in his province is a matter of national security that warrants immediate investigation.

"I am urging the DFA and our diplomatic posts in China to apply these stricter rules on all Chinese nationals applying for whatever type of visa, whether they are businessmen, tourists, workers, or students," Rodriguez, a former immigration commissioner, said.

"Let us have a more comprehensive and stringent vetting of Chinese visa applicants for the sake of peace and order in the country and our national security. Let us be on the lookout for Trojan horses among them," he added.

About 24,189 student visas were granted to various foreigners last year, 66 percent or 16,190 of whom are Chinese, the BI said.

The majority of the Chinese students were enrolled in Metro Manila.

The IACFS is scheduled to convene today to address the influx of Chinese students in the country.