Philippines to probe ‘creeping invasion’ of Chinese students in province near Taiwan

Philippine officials are alarmed by the surge of Chinese nationals in Cagayan, a province at the northern tip of Luzon island facing Taiwan, describing it as a creeping invasion that has prompted government security forces to investigate.

Some 4,600 Chinese nationals have been recorded to be living in the Cagayan area and enrolled in private universities in the city of Tuguegarao. There are three new sites in the region under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a pact with the United States which allows for large-scale joint military exercises.

Citing security concerns, Philippine military spokeswoman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla on Tuesday said authorities would look into the matter and work with police.

“The military takes any reports seriously so we are looking into this, but in terms of peace and order issues, that is the mandate of police,” Padilla told a press briefing.

Describing the situation as a “creeping invasion”, Filipino congressman Robert Ace Barbers said the sudden surge of Chinese workers, businessmen, tourists and students in the Philippines was alarming.

He claimed foreigners had even obtained Filipino birth certificates, drivers’ licences, unified multipurpose identification cards and passports.

“How can they, in large numbers, not arouse suspicion to any agency unless the people responsible have been blinded by money or are grossly incompetent and ignorant?” Barbers argued.

Barbers also cited an earlier case of Chinese nationals who had managed to become Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary members. Last month, a senior coastguard official revealed its auxiliary unit contained 36 Chinese nationals on its active roster of civilian volunteers for two years before they were delisted.

In Manila,