By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Renowned and respected civic leader Teresita Ang-See, to my mind, has made a dangerous and faulty assumption that the “face of Sinophobia and racism” has reared its ugly head in the Philippines.
She is all riled up about calls from lawmakers to investigate the reported influx of Chinese students in Cagayan province — the site of strategic military outposts, including a couple sharing access to visiting US forces.
But wait a minute. Her premise is just as insulting to Filipinos and our leaders as Sinophobia is offensive to the Chinese people. Let’s not be fooled by this false narrative. The investigation is not borne out of Filipino Sinophobia — something I question even exists.
We are one of the most hospitable, accepting, and embracing people in the world, and even to come close to suggesting racism in this country or simple biases against the Chinese is unthinkable.
The only reason this investigation into hundreds of Chinese students enrolled in Cagayan schools came about is because of a series of recent incidents that prompted concern among some government leaders that spies might have infiltrated this group of international students.
To be clear, Sinophobia is not the reason behind the investigation into the reported influx of Chinese students in Cagayan province. The concerns expressed by lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, are rooted in valid national security considerations and the need to uphold the integrity of our educational system.
Let us address these concerns based on facts and rational analysis. A recent raid of an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac, exposed 900 hundred trafficked workers, among them 427 Chinese.
A couple of weeks ago, Congressman Robert Ace Barbers slammed government agencies that issue Philippine documents because foreigners— many of them Mainland Chinese — are acquiring Philippine passports, birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and even UMID cards.
The Philippine Coast Guard has also accommodated Mainland Chinese as members of its auxiliary force’s executive squadron allegedly for a handsome “cash donation.”
All these are happening as China’s maritime forces harass and deliberately perform dangerous and aggressive maneuvers that put our private and government vessels at risk in waters of the West Philippine Sea – an area of the South China Sea closest to the Philippines.
To say now that an investigation into whether Chinese spies have been embedded in the streaming of foreigners into the country through our educational institutions does not warrant a blanket accusation that Filipinos are racist or Sinophobic.
Remember that the Philippines has a long history of fostering international relationships and welcoming foreign nationals, including Chinese citizens, into our communities. Any suggestion that Sinophobia drives this investigation undermines the genuine intentions of our leaders to safeguard our nation’s interests.
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