By Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday decried Chinese commentaries questioning the country’s right to conduct a security oversight of foreign-linked cultural and academic exchange programs.
“The DND calls out the hypocrisy of state-controlled entities—such as Jinan University and similar Beijing-run institutions—invoking concepts like ‘academic fairness’ and ‘academic freedom.’ Genuine academic freedom cannot exist within state-owned propaganda channels where free speech is suppressed, dissenting views from the party line are immediately criminalized, and history itself is heavily censored—most notably the violent suppression of students at Tiananmen Square,” it said in a news release.
In the news release, DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. “emphasized that public scrutiny and institutional transparency regarding foreign state funding in local education are fundamental duties of national governance, vital to safeguarding both academic integrity and national security.”
Likewise, the DND said the “PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) definition of ‘fairness’ in international engagements mirrors its unilateral stance in the West Philippine Sea: an unfair arrangement where one side demands total control while offering no reciprocal respect for international law.”
The DND statement was issued in the wake of reports, published by SeaLight, a maritime transparency initiative, which stated that Jinan University is the “single largest training site” for Chinese teachers going into Chinese language schools in the Philippines.
SeaLight also claimed that Jinan University is closely tied to China’s political influence networks.
Academics from Jinan University earlier claimed that Batanes, a province in the northern part of Luzon, is part of China, triggering strong protests from the Philippines.
The DND also expressed its “grave concern” on the institutional risk posed by foreign legal frameworks.
“Under the PRC’s National Security Law, all citizens, educational institutions, and private organizations are legally obligated to cooperate with state intelligence apparatuses, specifically the Ministry of State Security,” it noted.
This is aggravated by the “recent enforcement of coercive laws, such as ethnic unity mandates that seek to impose state control over ethnic groups like the Uyghurs and assert extraterritorial reach over individuals outside PRC jurisdiction,” it said.
“The DND notes with serious concern that while foreign state-controlled outlets purport to promote purely ‘cultural and academic’ exchanges, these programs have highlighted academic forums that openly question Philippine territorial sovereignty—specifically asserting unlawful claims over the Batanes Islands, an integral and indisputable territory of the Republic of the Philippines,” it stated.
The DND also said that “when academic symposiums are weaponized as platforms to dismantle sovereign borders, government oversight is not ‘politicization’—it is a necessary, responsible, and constitutional act of public defense.”
It noted, “that security evaluations are strictly targeted at foreign malign influence, co-optation, and covert interference.”
“They are in no way directed at the vibrant Filipino-Chinese community, whose rich cultural heritage and historical contributions remain an irreplaceable cornerstone of Philippine society,” it said. “Protecting local educational institutions from foreign state control ensures that genuine cultural bridges are preserved rather than exploited for geopolitical agendas.”
“The Republic of the Philippines remains fully committed to authentic, transparent international academic cooperation governed by the rule of law, mutual respect, and absolute devotion to Philippine national sovereignty,” it added.
