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Sunday, April 28, 2024 Vol. 19 No. 194
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Filipino-Chinese community leaders call for a halt to a perceived creeping Sinophobia amid Manila’s escalating maritime tensions with Beijing.
T
US universities, too
By Joel C. Paredes
ACCORDING to Pedro, even the Americans have kept on luring Chinese nationals to enroll at Harvard and other prestigious US universities “so that they would generate more funds.” “’Pag umalis ’yung mga foreign students, babagsak sila [If these foreign students leave, they will collapse]. The normal American students must borrow money from the universities. These foreign students, they bring dollars to study.” Pedro thinks the Philippines, which is an English-speaking country, should attract them to come since the price of education here “is only a fraction,” compared to the United States and Europe. Pedro said he learned that China had already sent 32,000 students to Thailand and another 21,000 students to Malaysia, just to put emphasis on the English language in their education.
WO influential leaders of the Filipino-Chinese community are calling for a halt to the Philippines’s escalating tensions with China following the war of words between the United States and China on one hand, and the Philippines and its giant neighbor on the other. They argue that it will not only have an adverse effect on their day-to-day lives but also hinder the country’s growth.
Chilling reality PROTESTERS with masks depicting former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping stage a rally outside the Chinese consulate in Makati City on Friday, April 19, 2024. The protesters were calling on the Chinese government to end the alleged harassment of Philippine vessels and fishermen at the disputed South China Sea.AP/AARON FAVILA
“Nobody wants war, neither China nor the Philippines.”—Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro, president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII)
“To spread that kind of Sinophobia at this point is very frightening and very disturbing.”—Teresita Ang See, Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran cofounder
“Ang problema maaari lang maresolve kung mag-uusap ’yung dalawang nag-aaway [The problem can only be resolved if the two parties who are fighting will talk to each other]. We can agree to disagree, [or] if we cannot agree or disagree, we can put that aside—status quo,” Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro, president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce
and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), told the BusinessMirror in an interview. “Let’s move forward to those we can agree on. If we want to talk about it, fine. Hanggang usap lang. Huwag magbibitaw ng salita na nakakasakit. Anong mangyayari sa atin kung mag-aaway tayo? Kung magaaway, giyera na ’yun [Let’s not utter words that will hurt. What will happen if we fight? If we fight it
could be war]. Nobody wants war, neither China nor the Philippines,” he said. Pedro said he agreed to candidly talk on the issue, having been surprised that even the presence of Chinese students in Cagayan province, which he said was “supposed to be a non-issue,” sparked a geopolitical controversy following the allegations that they could be “spies.” “We need these friends to help each other because we are still a developing country. The key here is we must move forward faster than our neighbors,” according to Pedro, who coined the “Dugong Tsino, Pusong Pinoy” when the FFCCCII celebrated its 70th anniversary in March.
“Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, kailangan natin ng mga kaibigan, ’di kaaway [for the country to progress, we need friends, not enemies],” he asserted. He was apparently reacting to the legislative probe on the alleged Chinese influx in the region after Cagayan Rep. Joseph Lara filed House Resolution No. 1666, seeking an inquiry in aid of legislation on the alleged surge of Chinese students enrolling in various higher education institutions in Cagayan. The investigation is necessary, said the lawmaker and other likeminded colleagues in Congress, to ensure national security amid the prevailing tension in the West Philippine Sea.
It was previously reported that 4,600 Chinese nationals have been recorded to be living in Cagayan Area, located at the northern tip of Luzon facing Taiwan. Lara and Faustino Dy of Isabela’s Sixth District alleged some of these foreigners had been involved in “spurious schemes.” The controversy broke just as joint Balikatan military exercises involving Manila and Washington were taking place in the province, located at the northern tip of the main island of Luzon facing Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its territory. China has vowed to eventually “unify” Taiwan, officially known as Republic of China, with the mainland using force if necessary.
IRONICALLY, it was in Cagayan where the provincial governor opposed the expansion of the RP-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) in two sites within the province. Gov. Manuel Mamba and Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Rosario-Que later belied the allegations raised by the two lawmakers. Que pointed out that only 486 foreign students, including Chinese nationals, were enrolled at St. Paul University in Tuguegarao, the only educational institution authorized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Bureau of Immigration to accept foreign students. “Majority are masteral and PhD students who do not stay in school full-time but come to the Philippines only to meet advisers to present research or defend Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 57.8690 n JAPAN 0.3720 n UK 72.4346 n HK 7.3925 n CHINA 7.9934 n SINGAPORE 42.5758 n AUSTRALIA 37.7248 n EU 62.0992 n KOREA 0.0422 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.4297 Source: BSP (April 26, 2024)
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