City Council backs probe vs BI, language schools

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council supports the move to investigate a possible connivance between English language tutorial centers and some unscrupulous immigration officials following reports that several foreign students are studying in the Philippines without securing the necessary permits.

Councilor Edgardo Labella sponsored a resolution supporting the investigation ordered by Bureau of Immigration acting commissioner Ronaldo Ledesma citing the fact that a number of English language tutorial centers exist in Cebu City.

Labella believes that some of the foreign students in the city may not also have the required study permit.

 “The Bureau of Immigration fully supports the effort to promote the Philippines as an educational hub in the Asia Pacific and is mandated to ensure that foreign students comply with the immigration laws,” Labella said.

Ledesma ordered the BI legal division headed by Lawyer Arvin Santos to look into the possible involvement of some immigration officers in the illegal activity by conniving with fly-by-night tutorial centers that accept students without study permit.

Ledesma ordered the investigation following the recent arrest of 86 South Korean and two Japanese minors who were caught studying in various language centers without the required permits.

Another 70 Korean minors were previous apprehended in Fantasy Island Resort in Batangas. They were also studying without permits.

Based on the initial investigation 16 Korean adults were allegedly responsible in facilitating the documents of these foreign students. The 16 Korean adults have already been deported but their contacts in the Bureau of Immigration are still unknown. —(BANAT NEWS)