Spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla of the AFP ARNEL TACSON/INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines will ask other government agencies to shed light on the reported influx of Chinese students in Cagayan province after two lawmakers expressed apprehensions that they already pose a national security concern.
The AFP spokesperson, Col. Francel Padilla, said the military would ask for more information from the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) about the Chinese enrollees.
“This has been coming out in the open and has been widely discussed, but it’s not just within the bounds of the AFP. So, we also need to talk about how they got in the Philippines [into] the first place, the legality of their entry into the country,” she said on Wednesday.
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Host to Edca sites
“We are coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration, the DFA and, since these are students, with the CHEd,” Padilla added.
Representatives Joseph Lara of Cagayan and Faustino Dy V of Isabela recently filed resolutions expressing concern over the growing presence of Chinese nationals in their region.
They noted that the Cagayan Valley, or Region 2, hosts three sites recently added to the list of areas American troops can access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) between the Philippines and the United States.
These are the Cagayan North International Airport in Lal-lo town and the Camilo Osias Naval Station in Santa Ana, both in Cagayan and Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu town in Isabela.
Padilla said the AFP was also looking at the national security implications of the Chinese influx and working with the Philippine National Police on the matter.
“The report that we have gotten from the spokesperson of the PNP is that the situation in the area is generally peaceful as of this time,” she said.
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Welcomed by others
According to Padilla, the AFP wants to know from the BI and DFA if the foreigners had the necessary documents—like student visas—to be granted entry into the country.
“We take all of these things seriously. So we are conducting our internal investigation on the veracity of these reports—what their true intents are,” she said.
“A number of factors are involved (here),” the AFP spokesperson added, noting that other local politicians had welcomed the Chinese presence as a boon to tourism and the local economy.
“If you look at it at the security standard, what will come out of our internal investigation will determine if this has become a threat or not. Because, as I have said, there are different facets to it,” Padilla said.