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MANILA, Philippines – Several senators have voiced alarm at the arrival of nearly 28,000 Chinese tourists who were allowed to enter the country as retirees, saying this poses a threat to the security of the Philippines.
During the Department of Tourism (DOT) Senate budget briefing on Monday, Senator Richard Gordon asked the DOT led by Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat to review its policies allowing 35-year-old Chinese to enter retirees. , which, he said, is “age of the soldiers”.
“They (Chinese) choose the Philippines [as destination] because they can come and go without a visa. With a retirement visa, they can have multiple visas. That’s dangerous. I did not know. It bothers me, ”Gordon said.
He made the statement on responses made by Bienvenido Chy, general manager of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), a DOT deputy agency.
According to Chy, current PRA policies allow for retirees age 35 and older, with at least $ 50,000 (approximately P2.5 million) in cash on hand.
Sen. Nancy Binay wondered if the PRA has enough funds to monitor foreign retirees and make sure they don’t take jobs away from Filipinos.
High number
“My concern is the high number of Chinese retirees. I don’t know if you have the budget to monitor that these are really not working on [Philippine offshore gaming operations] because if their demographic is 35 years old, the probability that they will work is high, “said Binay.
PRA records showed that some 28,000 Chinese, or about 40 percent of all foreign retirees, were allowed into the country, followed by 14,200 Koreans.
“I don’t have a problem with Korea, but we have a problem with our neighbor (China) and 35 is the age of the soldiers,” Gordon said.
Senator Joel Villanueva also expressed concern over the PRA data, as the Labor and Employment Department arrested some 6,700 illegal Chinese workers last year.
“Most of them came here with the intention of becoming tourists in the country and then they will be working illegally,” he said.
Concern for national security
Other foreign retirees in the country include about 6,100 Indians, 4,850 Taiwanese, 4,000 Japanese, 3,700 Americans, 1,870 Hong Kong Chinese, 1,600 British, 800 Germans, 750 Australians and about 4,500 other nationalities, according to the PRA.
Gordon said the large number of Chinese retirees raises a “national security concern.”
“Their number is equal to 27 regiments (of the Army); that’s dangerous. Why would they retire here at 35? ” he said.
Gordon urged the PRA board to review its current policies on allowing retired foreigners to enter.
“I suggest Secretary Puyat, you better investigate this quickly and give us a formal report on this,” the senator said.
Gordon said the Senate tourism committee should also conduct an investigation with the goal of amending the law and attracting more seniors from other countries, such as Japan and the United States.
“Retirees, as you know, retire an average of 56 to 60, to 65 years,” Gordon said. INQ
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