Marcos sets up EduPhil to attract foreign higher education students

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has established the Education Philippines (EduPhil) Program to promote the country as a preferred destination for international students seeking higher education, research, and training.

Executive Order No. 124, signed by Marcos on Sept. 8 and posted on Friday at the Official Gazette, states that the Philippine higher education system will strengthen academic cooperation, research collaboration, innovation partnerships, and facilitate the entry, stay, and education of foreign students.

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It establishes an EduPhil Task Force, which shall serve as the principal inter-agency coordinating body to promote, facilitate, and develop the program.

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The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) will serve as the lead implementing agency of the EduPhil Program, with the Department of Foreign Affairs as vice-chair.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Tourism, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Professional Regulation Commission will be its members.

The responsibilities of the EduPhil Task Force are as follows:

• Formulate policies and provide strategic direction for the implementation of the EduPhil Program
• Develop and oversee the implementation of a five-year international education promotion strategy
• Develop and oversee the implementation of the EduPhil Portal, which shall serve as a single-window, interoperable digital platform to facilitate documentation, endorsement tracking, referral, reporting, information-sharing, and the delivery of government services relating to the education of international students 
• Recommend legislative, administrative, and other measures to streamline visa processing and related government services for international students and other types of support
• Recommend policies and initiatives to facilitate the reciprocal recognition of academic degrees, qualifications, and credentials between the Philippines and foreign jurisdictions
• Constitute sub-committees and working groups, as may be necessary, to support the effective implementation of the order
• Submit an annual report to the President, through the CHEd Chairperson, on the implementation of the EduPhil Program
• Perform such other functions as may be directed by the President/coa