General Santos City (29 March) — Smile at life…in the Philippines!
Retired Police Director General Edgar Aglipay, chairperson of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) proudly enunciated the agency’s battle cry shoving the Philippines as retirement hub in the world.
“We have this branding because Filipinos are by nature happy people and it is the kind of service Filipinos provide – from the heart,” he explained.
PRA, a government-owned and controlled corporation supports the Philippine economy through the foreign currency remitted by foreign nationals to the country.
As lead government agency, Gen. Aglipay said PRA “has a mandate to attract foreign nationals, 35 years and above and former Filipino citizens to retire in the Philippines.”
He said its (PRA) program particularly aimed at those retirees born after World War II whom he described as “baby boomers,” and who, according to him have “a great deal of income.”
Aglipay believes that the Philippines has the best features in store for retirees, namely: climate, safety, proximity to medical supplies, highly skilled and caring people, low-cost living, natural attractions, and desirable facilities.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared the Philippine retirement industry as a key flagship program armed with the belief that the “country will benefit a lot if the potential of the retirement industry can be harnessed.”
Committed to help the government accelerate “socio-economic development; contribute to foreign currency reserve; and provide in a most attractive package the best quality of life to its foreigner-retirees,” PRA expects to generate thru its program $44B which is expected to snowball by end of 2015.
Aside from that, it also anticipates to pump employment to benefit some 4 million Filipinos. Aglipay was also confident that the program will bring about “reverse migration” and might even convince highly skilled workers and professionals to opt to stay in the Philippines rather than seek employment abroad.
“Last year was a very good year for PRA. The enrollees for special resident visitor’s visa (SRRV) have increased compared to 2004 and 2005,” Gen. Aglipay intoned.
The SRRV is a special visa that allows the holder to stay in the Philippines for one year, from the date of arrival in the Philippines.
All foreign nationals, except those classified as “restricted” by the Department of Foreign Affairs, are eligible to join the program, he stressed as he prodded “marketers and facilities to renew their accreditation for year 2007.”
“We are now working on the different incentive schemes for marketers who enroll more retirees in the program, and for facilities that would attract more retirees to invest in their properties for the coming year,” Aglipay added.
PRA, the retirees’ “home away from home” has participated in different international and local travel and trade expo to promote the retirement program of the Philippine Government.
It also provides assistance to enrollees in facilitating the processing of their application papers, investments and other business transactions in the country.
Aglipay said a retiree can choose to invest their required deposit through the following means: purchase of a condominium unit; subscription of shares of stocks in a non-traded Philippine corporation; purchase of shares of stock in existing corporations registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and selected corporations traded in the Philippine Stock Exchange; long-term lease of a parcel of land or house and lot; construction of a residential unit on a leased parcel of land; and purchase of proprietary shares in golf clubs.
But he said his agency has special offer for former Filipinos “because they can purchase a lot not exceeding 5,000 square meters in urban areas or three hectares in rural areas to be used for business or other purposes.”
Aglipay has been touring the entire country to scout for viable sites where PRA can establish facilities to boost the number of destination areas for the visiting retirees.
“There are lots of existing properties available for retirement facility development that are found in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” he revealed.
For Region XII, he said he is eyeing a particular area in Maasim, Sarangani and Tambler, General Santos City as potential retirement havens. “Both areas have their own unique potential that can be developed into some kind of amenities for this purpose.”
Aglipay was accompanied by Sarangani Governor Migs Dominguez and Col. Willie Dangane during his tour of Sarangani-GenSan over the weekend. (PIA SarGen)
I couldn't wait till I'm retired, Bob, before I moved here. I guessed you and I missed the rush hour traffic to move here. Till next time….
Hi Julius – Right on! The SRRV, though, does apply for anybody 35 years of age or older.
I agree, Bob. It is, however, good to have that feeling that we scoped this place out before we reach that age of being too old and too weak to make the move. Unfortunately, too many expat and foreigners have dreamed about retiring in the Philippines, but only a handful actually did it. I guess they all got caught with the daily grind and responsibility of living in First World Countries. I think the problem is more inertia than wanting to move here, whether your young or old. Too many people are finding excuses not to do it. It has to be the perfect time, according to the many who have long desired to move here. Well, from my experience, there really is no perfect time. You just have to do it. Till next time….
Hi Julius – most people are dreamers, not doers. For every 100 people who talk about moving to the Philippines 2 or 3 people will actually do it. When it comes down to it, people are scared to make that final decision to make the move!
Bob of course dreams cost nothing, and talk is cheap, we say in London "You talk a good deal" I hope I am not one of the dreamers, hahahahahaha
For myself, the reason I made the move is because it was primarily for my kids. As a former teacher, I realized the gradual degration of our school system and moral values in the states. There's just too many choices and right, to a point that everyone from children to adults, have taken it out of proportion. What school system in the world, would allow the students to curse or threaten a teacher, with just a slap on the hand consquences? Yet that system would be the same one that will threaten to put you in jail if you ever lay a hand on your child to discipline him/her. Back when I was growing, you get out of line with your parents or your teacher, you get the paddle. These days, you get out of line, you go to time out and/or counseling. America is a great place for lawyers and psychologists because they capitalize on rights of the individuals whether they're right or wrong. They raising the kids there on Ritalins instead of the paddle.
As for me, I felt that we're just working ourselves to death by feeding the welfare system and making the rich richer. Everything is already programmed for the middle class. All you have to do is fill the shoes of the ones who were ahead. If you do what the programmed has designed and work hard, we'll promise you a house with a 30 year mortgage, a brand new car that will breakdown after you pay it off, a health coverage that you'll need soon because you'll develop all these maladies for being too stressed, and a healthy retirement plan so you can afford to live out your old age in a strange nursing home. Where is the excitement in that?
Life is too short. If we like security (or the false image of it that someone has drilled in our minds, then live in a First World Country. One of my friends back in the states ask me a very profound question once: Julius, how do you define modern day slavery? I thought about it for a long time and finally gave up and begged him for the answer. His reply was nonchalant: "Middle Class America". Hummmnnn….Till next time….
If I may add, here are two Buddhist-based principles that I've learned along the way in order to step out of the imagined security blanket I was in when I was living in the states. These two principles propelled me to make the move to the Philippines and helped reinforced my reason for staying here . Granted, I'm not a Buddhist and I'm not advocating their faith; however, these two principles probably helped me more than my own Christian practice nor any commercialized motivativational literatures. I'll put these principles in my own words as best as I can. If anybody wants to add or make changes to it, please do so:
1. IMPERMANENCE: Nothing last forever. Even the security that we create in our mind is only a state of mind (a job, home, car, savings, retirement, and etc.). A good example of this is 9-11. The world and how how safe it felt was never the same. We should live for today (and actually enjoy it), than live for tomorrow.
2. GRASPING: When we hold on to things to tight, it causes unhappiness and stress (emotions, people, places, and things, and etc.). Hummmnnn….
Till next time….
Hi Peter – We are all dreamers, I guess. Some of us try to make our dreams come true, though!
Hi Julius – those are some things to consider!
Agree. Most people wait till retirement to live their dreams. With us, we're living it now. Yea, the Philippines has its own problems, but there are two ways to look at it: Good and Bad. Bad because there are no financial opps here and your sorrounded by poverty. Good because it keeps out commercial developers that will turn this place into another Hawaii or the Bahamas, where it would be too expensive to live here. We're the ones with the Pioneering heart. We're not afraid to leave the false security we had in the states and chose to live in Paradise instead.
The way I see it, you're in a better position than most Americans living in the states. You said it yourself in one of your entries. Earn foreign revenue, but spend it here. Thank God to the internet and web-based business. You can have your cake and eat it, too. Everyone needs to face the fact that the people in the United States are all becoming consumers. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty anymore. Everyone wants the college degree, the prestigious jobs, and the Smith-Jones lifestyle. All are willing to spend their hard earned money to maintain these material things in life. No one wants the minimum paying or dirty jobs anymore. Leave those to the new wave of immigrants coming into the country.
That's why outsourcing to Third World Countries have been on the rise for the past few years. You, Bob, myself, and hopefully Peter Bennett, are the new breed of entrepreneurs. The United States is fully matured as far as world standing is concerned. Opportunities for small time entrepreneurs like ourselves are very limited. We'll have to expand our horizon outside of her (United States) now to be able to get that edge. Till next time….
To add to my last post. A Chinese/Filipino businessman told me this once in 1994 when he described the Philippines and it has stuck in my mind ever since. It has been one of the driving factor that keeps bringing me back to this country. It's so simple yet profound. It goes something like this: "Stability brings no opportunities; Crisis brings opportunities". Till next time….
Julius – Very good quote! It's one that I will remember and will use myself in the future!
Hello Bob and Feyma!
I am from SOCSARGEN (born in Polomolok, voter of Maitum, and lived in Gensan). I worked under Gov. Migs office (Indigenous Peoples Development Program) from 2004 until May 2006. I appreciate your website (www.mindanao.com) and this blog.It is an integrated virtual learning about Mindanao and the good as well bad things going on. But, despite some isolated bad news, still, you shared Mindanao in a very pro-active way.I am based here in Atlanta now and is active with Fil-Am organizations. Starting this April 24, 2007…we are having a Perspective Series about Philippines.I am one of the speakers and will share about Mindanao.I have your website as one of my references. Here is the link for the event. http://accessphilatlanta.blogspot.com/2007/03/acc…
arjho
Hi Arjho – best of luck with your presentation!
Hi Bob,
Friends in Olangapo/Subic area let me know that the PRA is very aggressively pursuing potential foreign retirees lately. Seminars and speaking engagements with various groups, etc. Their newsletters are pretty impressive, as is their website at
http://www.pra.gov.ph/
😉
Hi Paul – I personally am not a big supporter of the Special Retirement Visa that is offered by PRA. There have been problems in the past with this, and I just think that anybody should be careful if they go for this. It requires a rather sizable investment of money here, and that is something to be considered carefully.
For anybody who has a Philippine spouse, in my personal opinion there are no benefits in going with the retirement visa, when compared to a Resident Visa.