Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Ting Que. Photo courtesy of Tuguegarao City Information Office/Facebook

MANILA —Tuguegarao Mayor Maila Ting-Que said she is ready to face a congressional probe on the alleged surge of Chinese students in the city amid fears they may be threats to national security.

READ: AFP 'looking into' reported influx of Chinese students in Cagayan 

“We are preparing all the documents that are needed to show the people that the allegations contained in that resolution are libelous and are untrue, unwarranted, and is racist,” Ting-Que told reporters in a forum over the weekend. 

Earlier, Cagayan Rep. Joseph Lara filed a House Resolution No. 1666 to investigate the supposed influx of Chinese nationals in his home province, saying it is “highly suspicious and alarming” amid growing tensions between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea.

Cagayan is home to Naval Base Camilo Osias and Lal-lo Airport, which were identified as Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, where the United States military can deploy and preposition personnel, supplies and materiel. 

Ting-Que noted Chinese students have been in the city even before the establishment of EDCA sites in the province, which is also about two hours away from the Tuguegarao. 

“No’ng nagpunta ang presidente BBM sa China, nakapag-ink po sila ng kasunduan para magkaroon ng mga exchange na students…hindi pa po na-identify ang Cagayan as EDCA site noon,” she said in a separate interview on Telereadyo Serbisyo on Monday. 

READ: Tuguegarao mayor: Scrutiny of Chinese students in Cagayan unfair, insults city

In a joint statement of private higher education institutions in Cagayan, they said St. Paul University has a current admission of 486 foreign nationals, which already consists of various nationalities, and not only Chinese. Other schools do not have foreign students at the moment. 

Earlier reports said there were at least 4,600 Chinese students in one school in Cagayan. 

“The enrollment of international students, including those from China, is a result of our commitment to academic excellence and global collaboration,” part of the statement read. 

“The insinuation that the presence of Chinese students in the City's Universities poses a threat to national security is not only baseless but also deeply offensive. It is a blatant display of racism and Sinophobia that has no place in our society, especially within the realm of education,” it added. 

The universities also denied allegations that students are buying off diplomas, while Ting-Que said she has never sponsored the study of foreigners. 

“Sobrang sakit ng loob namin dito…It’s so unfair doing that to the institution who have spent decades building their reputations,” Ting-Que said. 

“The insinuation that Cagayan universities are diploma mills is not only insulting, but may also be libelous,” the schools said. 

Meanwhile, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said the province’s relationship with foreigners have been harmonious and there have been no single police complaint against them. 

“Can we really investigate those fair-skinned people here in our province? That they are the next Chinese spies? My God, if you only know what kind of relationship we have with them,” he said. 

‘SINOPHOBIA AND RACISM’ 

Meanwhile, civic leader and Chinese-Filipino figure Teresita Ang See of Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order and Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran cried foul over suggestions that Chinese students may be involved in espionage.

READ: Security analyst alarmed by influx of Chinese students in Cagayan 

“The past days’ preoccupation with deliberate fanning of Sinophobia and racism by politicians and media spreading baseless whodunits of ‘students as spies’ is dangerous and unfortunate,” Ang See said. 

“Neighboring countries take measures to entice Chinese tourists and Chinese students who wish to improve their English to better qualify for higher studies outside China. We, on the other hand, discourage them from coming by exhibiting blatant racism and racial profiling,” she added.  

Herman Laurel, president of Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies, said his group will study a possible case against Lara. 

“It is apparently clear now that the figures released by Cong. Lara is… patently false,” he said. “I’ll just focus on studying in suing these people who have hundreds of millions of intelligence funds enough for research just to disclose lies. They are so shameless.” 

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