Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday submitted a resolution to investigate the potential national security implications of foreigners using forged or unlawfully acquired documents to impersonate Filipinos. Recent reports have highlighted a surge in Chinese students enrolling in higher education institutions with suspicious entry credentials.

In Proposed Senate Resolution No. 1001, the senator urged the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security to investigate the presence of foreigners in strategic locations vital to our national defense.

“Sa panahong kaliwa’t kanan ang pag-water cannon ng Tsina sa mga Pilipinong barko, siguro naman may karapatan tayong maalarma. Siguro naman hindi masama magduda. I have led countless Senate inquiries that revealed how foreigners not only abuse our immigration processes, but also use fake documents to obtain birth certificates and Philippine passports. It is only natural that we look into if this trend is, in any way, related to Chinese harassment in the West Philippine Sea,” Hontiveros said.

The senator stated that the country welcomes young people from around the world who wish to study in Philippine schools, as this promotes dialogue and global exchanges. However, she cautioned that it’s a different story when documents are fake and enrollment in schools is just a cover.

Hontiveros emphasized that according to the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, four Chinese nationals were arrested in Thailand for impersonating Filipinos using Philippine passports, birth certificates from the Philippine Statistics Authority, and Philippine Postal Identity Cards.

Cagayan Rep. Joseph “Jojo” Lara has reported receiving information from constituents about agents or fixers charging foreign “students” ₱1 million for entry into Cagayan, with 80% of the fee allegedly going to the agent or fixer and the remaining 20% to the school.

The AFP is investigating the reported surge of foreign students enrolling in Higher Educational Institutions in the Province of Cagayan.

“The Philippines is not for sale. Nobody should treat our national identity like goods to buy or sell. Sa dami ng mga report tungkol sa mga black market na ito, magtataka ka talaga kung may kinalaman ba ito sa ating pambansang seguridad. Kailangan maliwanagan tayo kung may papel dito ang mismong gubyerno ng Beijing,” Hontiveros said.

The resolution also cited an incident where agents from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) interviewed residents of Multinational Village in Parañaque City regarding a sizable group of foreign nationals. These individuals were reportedly seen at specific times jogging in military formation around the subdivision, dressed in matching black athletic attire and sporting military-style haircuts.

“Itong subdivision sa Parañaque ay katabi ng NAIA, at limang kilometro lang ang layo mula sa mga kampo natin. Ang Cagayan naman ay malapit sa Taiwan, na itinuturing na potential flashpoint sa Indo-Pacific region. The Senate must investigate these disturbing patterns. Common sense tells us to cover our bases. We can never be too careful,” Hontiveros concluded.

📷 Sen. Risa Hontiveros FB