As explained in one of my previous columns, I prefer to label individuals who have reached retirement as “ageless dreamers” because, when you think deeper, that’s what they really are.
They have reached a status in life when their age is no longer a factor to them. As long as they feel fit, they just keep on doing things they’ve always wanted to do, things that they’ve always dreamed of but, for one reason or another, were too busy to do. The Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) wants to have its share of caring for these ageless dreamers.
The PRA, an attached agency of our Department of Tourism, was created by virtue of Executive Order 1037 to develop and promote our country as a retirement haven to help accelerate the social and economic development of the country, strengthen our foreign exchange position, and provide the best quality of life to foreign retirees. Since its establishment in 1985, the agency has attracted more than 82,000 foreign retirees who have happily settled here on our shores.
We’ve got what it takes to be Asia’s leading haven for foreign retirees—low cost of living, excellent healthcare facilities, a very interesting culture, our innate welcoming and caring attitude, our English communication skills, our nature’s bounty, and many other reasons. But what we need more of are world-class retirement facilities, or retirement townships, like what they have in other countries.
With the help of Dr. Miguel A. Ramos Jr., a well-known geriatric doctor, PRA has updated the standards required of each retirement facility and will soon impose these standards for their accreditation.
Dr. Ramos Jr., who is also the president and chief executive officer of La Verna Aged Care and Dementia Village, has dual expertise as a policy advisor and as an industry pioneer. He recently came up with a comprehensive overview of our country’s long-term care landscape, its market demand, and investment potential.
More importantly, he recently launched his company’s latest venture, a world-class retirement facility in Tagaytay, Royal Luxury Senior Living, which offers premium serviced rooms with first-class amenities. It has state-of-the-art healthcare services designed to provide unparalleled comfort and care for seniors. It prides itself on a 1:1 caregiver-to-resident ratio, ensuring personalized attention 24/7.
Aside from the comprehensive healthcare it provides its residents, the facility also offers activities that will assure them of a most enjoyable stay. There are jazz nights, beach trips, and wellness programs planned out for them toward a fulfilling and social lifestyle.
At the launch of this latest retirement facility, Dr. Ramos Jr. declared, “The population of older persons is growing three times faster than the rest of the population. Aging is not a future problem. It is a present challenge.” He hit it right on the head, which is why we at PRA, aside from maximizing our marketing potential to attract more foreign retirees to our country, are also leaving no stone unturned in convincing investors like Dr. Ramos Jr. to put up world-class retirement facilities all over the country.
At an investment forum we attended in Osaka recently, we were very pleased to learn that a Japanese company has announced its plan to put up a chain of retirement facilities all over the country. Their first venture is now being built in Mactan, Cebu. I also learned that a large retirement township is now being built in Medellin, Cebu, by a Chinese company. SM has also planned to put up its first retirement facility in Tagaytay and eventually build more in other parts of the country.
With all these new world-class assisted-living and independent-living retirement facilities sprouting up all over the country, PRA is now well on its way to achieving its goal of making our country a globally competitive and leading retirement destination in Southeast Asia.
Even with the present crop of facilities that we currently have, PRA has managed to bring in high-profile government officers from other countries, world-class entertainers, diplomatic officials, visual artists, financial leaders, and CEOs of big international corporations. They are now happily retired here in our country. It is even more interesting to know that the ambassadors of countries that are declared as the top retirement destinations in the world have chosen to retire here in the Philippines.
More information on PRA and its offerings is available at www.pra.gov.ph
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
