MANILA -- Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel III said Sunday that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) should investigate the alleged large number of Chinese students in Cagayan, before the Senate makes a move.

The senator said the facts of the issue should be verified first, including the actual number of foreign students, since vague details were used in earlier reports.

"Subjective 'yang salitang 'marami" so kailangan malaman natin 'yung exact. Ilan ba talaga? Ilan ba ang foreign students sa probinsiya ng Cagayan; saan pumapasok; at magkano tuition? I-break down din natin 'yung foreign students—ano'ng nationality nila; kailan ba nagsimula itong trend na ito at baka naman matagal na pala nangyayari ito given the number of the students," Pimentel said in an interview with TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

PH intelligence officials probing alleged influx of Chinese students in Cagayan

He added that any cause for concern on the issue is not yet clear since it "depends on the number" of alleged foreign students.

"Kaya tayo na-focus sa ganitong issue kasi ginamit 'yung salitang 'marami.' Ang salitang 'marami' ay subjective... kaya we need to look at the numbers. Mayroon lang akong word of caution: Mainit masyado ang local politics sa probisiya ng Cagayan kaya tingnan na rin natin 'yung paggamit ng mga loaded na salita o subjective na salita. Eh baka naman konektado ito sa local politics ng probinsiya ng Cagayan," he said.

BI says 1,500 Chinese nationals got student visas in Cagayan after being 'legally processed'

When asked if he would file a resolution in the Senate to investigate the issue, the senator said he would just let CHED verify the facts of the case itself.

"Ako, hindi na magpa-file [ng resolution] kasi ang aking posisyon ay imbestigahan na ito ng CHED tapos bigyan na lang nila kami ng numbers. Saka tayo kikilos pag hindi ito inimbestigahan ng CHED or pag hindi nagbigay ng report sa amin ang CHED. At saka initiative na ng CHED 'yun. Dapat magbigay sila ng initial na reports sa Senado," Pimentel said.

Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Ting Que has earlier decried the "unfair" scrutiny of Chinese students in her city, saying fears that they may be threats to national security are baseless.

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

CHED, in a statement last week, said that there is "a significant number" of Chinese students enrolled at Saint Paul University Philippines, which is found in the city of Tuguegarao.

According to the university's website, it is a Center for Excellence in Nursing and in Teacher Education, and is a Center for Development in Information Technology.

CHED said that autonomous universities like SPU Philippines are authorized to accept foreign students.

Meanwhile, the National Security Council (NSC) has sent intelligence officials to Cagayan to monitor if there are national security threats in the area, NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said in an earlier interview.

The Bureau of Immigration earlier said that some 1,500 Chinese nationals received student visas in 2023 after endorsements from a legitimate university in Cagayan.

These Chinese nationals were “legally processed” and had “complete documentation,” the agency said.

The local government has reached out to the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and “there are no findings” that these students pose threats, the Tuguegarao mayor said. -- With a report from Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News