YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE
“What do you call a bee that can’t make up its mind? A maybe.”
“…they let their hair down and enjoy themselves like there’s no tomorrow. That’s what we saw when my team from the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) did our round of celebrations marking the ruby (40th) anniversary of our agency in major cities of the country.”
The PRA was created when former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. signed Executive Order 1037 in 1985, mandating it to promote the country as a haven for foreign retirees. Through the 40 years since then, more than 82,000 foreign retirees from 150 countries have decided to spend the rest of their golden years here in our country.
In recent years, the numbers show that an average of 4,000 retirees every year, coming from various countries, avail of our Special Resident Retirees Visa (SRRV) and establish their second home here on our shores.
The top five locations of these SRRV holders are in Metro Manila, CALABARZON Region, Cebu Province, Central Luzon, and Mindanao. The top seven nationalities are those from the People’s Republic of China, South Korea, India, USA, Taiwan, Japan, and the United Kingdom, in that order.
But who are these “ageless dreamers”? This “romanticized” label is now what I use for these retirees. You see, I noticed that the word “retired” has a negative connotation to many people. They think that when one is retired, he stops being active, stops doing things, or ceases to enjoy life. But we all know it’s the opposite that holds true.
When one is “retired,” that’s the time age is no longer a factor, when he starts doing things he never had the time to do before. He no longer cares how old he is as he sets off to many places, ticking off the items on his bucket list. He becomes ageless, doing things and going places he has always dreamed of. He has become an “ageless dreamer.” Especially because these days, age is no longer a consideration when one retires.
The global trend now sees people retiring from their day jobs once they become financially stable. While they’re still young and physically fit to travel, they gallivant around the world and settle down in destinations where they can put up their dream homes. In fact, we at PRA are happy that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has authorized the issuance of Digital Nomad Visas, because that would be the first step for this growing number of “techies” to eventually avail of our SRRVs and set up residence permanently here in our country.
At our ruby anniversary celebrations in the different cities with the largest concentration of these “ageless dreamers,” I made sure I paid tribute to them for choosing our country over that of our Asian neighbors, for having made that “leap of faith,” leaving the familiar in search of peace and real comfort, turning the idea of retirement into something beautiful, meaningful, and truly Filipino. And we at PRA have made sure that they enjoy il dolce far niente—the sweetness of doing nothing—which is what retirement is really all about.
In all of the anniversary celebrations we hosted in Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, and Angeles City, we made sure that the program included a chance for our foreign friends to display their skills in dancing, singing, or whatever talent they have—and many volunteered. Of course, when the band played dance music, we didn’t even have to ask them to—they immediately trooped to the dance floor and rocked ’til the wee hours.
What some lacked in gracefulness, they made up for with explosive energy and endurance. As seen in the photos on this page, it was an enviable display of how to let off steam. Even the more fragile ones couldn’t resist the tempting beat of “Macarena” and “YMCA.”
PRA holds these get-togethers every year for our SRRV holders and their families. They really look forward to these events and make it a point to dress up according to the prescribed attire. In our anniversary celebration in Baguio, we requested our North Luzon SRRV holders to wear something with a touch of the Cordillera—and they certainly did!
All these fun events we hold for our dear foreign friends, who we now treat as family, prove to all and sundry that retirement really isn’t about slowing down—it’s about finally choosing to live! Long live our “ageless dreamers!”
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
