[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Richard Gordon was enraged on Monday after learning that Chinese citizens as young as 35 are allowed to stay in the Philippines as retirees, and several senators raised the possibility that they secretly work for gaming operators in the foreigner (POGO) from the Philippines.
“It bothers me that only those who come here, 35 years old, can retire here,” Gordon told the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) during the hearing on the proposed Department of Tourism (DOT) budget.
(It bothers me that anyone who comes to this country and only at 35 can stay here as a retiree.)
The PRA, an adjunct agency to DOT, is mandated to “develop and promote the Philippines as a haven for retirement as a means of accelerating the country’s social and economic development” by providing a “globally competitive retirement program”, according to their website.
Before Gordon’s confrontation with PRA General Manager Welcome Chy, Senator Nancy Binay asked the latter about the age group of foreign retirees staying in the country, most of whom are Chinese citizens. .
In response, Chy said, “We started from 35 [years old] and up.”
According to PRA data, the main foreign retirees staying in the Philippines are mainland Chinese, with 27,678 followed by Koreans with 14,144.
“The reason for 35 years is in Korea, the military would retire at 35, and these are retirees who would benefit from this program,” Chy said.
“This has been the practice when I came in, this has been passed to the Board of Trustees, and it is just an ongoing program,” he added.
Still, Binay expressed concern that these Chinese retirees could also be working for POGO.
“I don’t know if he is monitoring them; Are you sure they are not working here in the Philippines and they are all retired? ” she asked.
Chy told the senator that the age of POGO workers, who are generally Chinese citizens, is 20 years old.
“Those who are 35 or so choose the Philippines as their retirement destination,” he added.
But Gordon raised that one possible reason Chinese citizens seem to favor the Philippines as a haven for retirement is that they “can come and go” on a retirement visa.
“That, for me, is dangerous. It bothers me… We won’t just monitor it; we will correct it. Because 35 is too young. In order not to reproach our neighbor, would they allow us to retire there at 35? I don’t think they will even allow us to retire in China, ”Gordon said.
Gordon said that even if Chy simply inherited this policy, he “should be smart enough to know and verify” what these 35-year-olds are doing in the country.
Chy told senators that the PRA would present the Senate with a complete profile of the country’s foreign retirees. [ac]
Read next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
