BI: 70 Korean kids ‘in teachers’ care’ after Batangas school closed

Immigration authorities have made assurances that Filipino teachers are looking after the 70 South Korean children enrolled in an English language school in Batangas, which was recently ordered closed for not having the appropriate licenses. In a release Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is ensuring that the children, aged 10 to 16 years old, are being taken care of and are not in detention. The children were previously enrolled in an English language school in Lemery town, but immigration authorities ordered its closure on January 7 for operating without licenses. They are scheduled to return to Korea by the end of the month, the DFA said. BI authorities raided the school and arrested six South Korean nationals, now detained at Camp Bagong Diwa, for operating a learning facility without a permit and for violating visa conditions. The Korean students meanwhile did not have the required Special Study Permit (SSP), a document that foreign students must secure upon arrival in the Philippines if they want to study in the country. The DFA said the BI agents were accompanied by Philippine National Police operatives when they went to the school premises. “According to the BI, the six South Korean nationals pretended to be conducting ‘summer camps’, when the facility was in fact being operated as an English-language school staffed by Filipino teachers," the DFA said in the release. “The facility was being marketed as a school in South Korea," it added. According to the DFA, South Koreans can enter the Philippines without a visa for tourism purposes, and stay in the country for a period of 21 days. On the other hand, the Philippine Embassy in Seoul issues a 59-day tourist visa to foreigners who wish to stay longer in the country. South Koreans make up one of the largest groups of foreign tourists in the Philippines, in light of the recent boom in English language schools that offer relatively lower prices. The number of Korean immigrants in the country registered a slight growth last year, from 24,876 in 2009 to 28,090 in 2010.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV