#NewsUpdate – The Philippine Association of Colleges & Universities (PACU), the largest organization of private schools in the country released a statement of support to the Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) in Cagayan province & their joint statement responding to claims that schools in the province are an alleged threat to national security and are milking cows.
The PACU’s supporting statement said that it stands in support of the University of Cagayan Valley, Medical Colleges of Northern Philippines, St Paul University Philippines, and the University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao and their joint statement.
“PACU is alarmed by the false narrative that foreign students are enrolling in Philippine schools with ulterior motives that pose a threat to our national security. As an organiztion that envisages nation-building through transformative private education, PACU calls the public to be critical of information which may not be rooted in truth,” the statement said further.
Over a week ago, four Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan have released a joint statement responding to claims that mounting numbers of Chinese nationals studying in Cagayan are alleged “milking cows” of schools and are an alleged threat to national security.
In the joint statement signed by all heads of four chiefs of the biggest universities and schools in Cagayan, states that “there are only 486 enrolled foreign students at St Paul University Philippines as of April 17, 2024 which consists of various nationalities (Chinese, Americans, Indonesians, Vietnamese and Japanese), while the three other schools (USLT, MCNP, and UCV) do not have foreign students enrolled at the moment.”
The HEI’s statement has slammed reports from various media agencies of alleged 4,600 enrolled foreign students, citing that the claims are ‘not only overstated,’ but are ‘completely baseless.’
Before the HEI’s joint statement, there had been allegations that Chinese nationals studying in Tuguegarao City schools are spending up to P2 million to obtain degrees and even if they don’t show up for classes, according to reports of multiple media outlets earlier this month.