Palace welcomes proposed Senate inquiry on influx of Chinese nationals

Malacañang on Thursday welcomed the proposal of opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan for the Senate to hold an investigation on the national security implications of the influx of Chinese nationals into the Philippines.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte respects the power of Congress to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation.

“That’s welcome po,” Roque told a news conference in Bohol.

Pangilinan on Tuesday called for a review of policies to protect the national interest and national security from the “unintended effects of the influx of foreign nationals,” given the entry of some four million Chinese nationals into the country since 2017.

He also criticized the “lenient” requirements for foreign national retirees.

The Philippine Retirement Authority earlier disclosed that Chinese nationals comprise the biggest population of foreign retirees at nearly 40 percent or about 28,000, with retirees defined as young as 35 years old.

"Given the lenient requirements for foreign national retirees and the seemingly unchecked entry of some four million Chinese nationals into the country, there is a need to look into whether this is an orchestrated 'soft invasion' of our country," Pangilinan said in Proposed Senate Resolution 558.

The Philippines’ diplomatic relations with China have vastly improved under President Rodrigo Duterte despite the maritime dispute in the South China Sea.—AOL, GMA News