"It does not help quell Sinophobia."
The Senate committee investigating the budget for the Department of Tourism has stumbled into its favorite subject of lambasting China for whatever fault their nationals may commit in this country. Now, they are making a howl that Chinese coming in are not really retirees but soldiers out to spy on us. Their presence, therefore, constitutes a threat to our national security. This is no different from the US administration propaganda in seeing in every Chinese the ghost of the devil.
The law creating the Philippines Retirement Authority was created by virtue of Executive Order No. 1037, signed by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos on 04 July 1985. On 31 August 2001, through Executive Order No. 26, the control and supervision of PRA was transferred to the Board of Investments (BOI) – Department of Trade and Industry. On 12 May 2009, Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as Tourism Act of 2009, PRA became an attached agency of the Department of Tourism and placed under the supervision of the Secretary.
The PRA is not a retirement agency similar to the social security system where a retired employee/worker may draw his monthly pension from his own savings in a trust fund, usually a government agency, which contributes a counterpart fund. In this case, Philippine Retirement Authority is different. Although it deals with people and whimsically calls them retirees, these individuals actually purchase packages of benefits. The older ones are offered medical and clinical care. This is why the term “retiree” is used – as a sort of come on.
The use of the technical term “retirement” is akin to enjoying one’s vacation using his own money, savings, retirement pay or an investment to buy properties while enjoying his twilight years in this country. He is entitled to the category of Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV), a special non-immigrant visa for foreign nationals.
In May 2011, President Benigno Aquino III issued what he called SRRV Smile in May 2011 and an SRRV Expanded Courtesy in January 2013. Since the agency is extended to foreigners, those 50 years old and above can avail themselves of it if they have a monthly pension of $10,000.00, or $20,000.00 if they are35 to 49 years old. The amount can also be used to purchase property worth $50,000.00, and the pensioner must at least have the equivalent of $800 for single and $1,000 for couples.
For retirees aged 35 years old and above, who need and/or require medical/clinical care, a monthly pension of at least $1,500.00, a health care policy that is accepted in the Philippines, and an SRR Visa deposit of $10,000 are required. Filipinos, 35 years old and above; foreign nationals, 50 years old and above, who are retired officers of international organizations recognized by the DFA, and a SRR Visa deposit of $50,000.00. For ailing retirees, 35 years old and above, who need/require medical/clinical care, a monthly pension of at least $1,500.00, a health insurance policy acceptable in the Philippines, and an SRR Visa deposit of $10,000.00 are required.
The benefits offered by the PRA are a form of investment to entice foreigners irrespective of the applicant’s nationality, provided they qualify for the special retiring resident’s visa (SRRV). Our senators totally failed to comprehend the objective and purpose of the law creating the PRA, which is to offer to “retired” people how they could spend their money in the Philippines.
It is not the kind of trust fund associated with retired employees where somehow the amount spent is limited not by their monthly contribution but on how much they are willing to spend. It does not matter whether the applicant is actually a retiree, physically able, on leave, enjoying a long vacation or simply from the moneyed class.
Since the target of the PRA are mostly foreign clients and also Filipinos who abandoned their citizenship but now seek to avail of that shabby law called “dual citizenship,” the PRA cannot be selecting the nationalities for of its clients like examining whether they are Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Indians or Americans. Its primary duty is to generate income for the government. It does not make sense for the senators to say that there are around 27,000 Chinese, 14,000 Korean and 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 from other nationalities classified as retirees. Otherwise we will end up being accused of racial discrimination.
It exposes Senator Richard Gordon, Nancy Binay and Joel Villanueva as stupid and ridiculous for spreading that the unusual large number of Chinese nationals allowed entry by the PRA as retirees are potential spies or national security threat to this country. First, they do not know and understand that the PRA is not a dumping agency for retirees but business operations to attract old tourists to this country. Second, the PRA does not cater to any particular nationality or, much more, ask them about their background. Thus, when these bunch of nincompoops started asking why these Chinese tourist are so young that they could be of military age and insinuating as possible spies for the PLA, their intention is to besmirch the agency and China which is in line to the US campaign against China. In fact, they have not even questioned a single Chinese enjoying the PRA’s so-called SRRV just what he is doing here?
For that matter, the PRA has generated a cumulative income of P6,368,689,039.42 for 2016; of P 770,460,922.49 for 2017: and possibly P792,653,027.49 for 2018. The PRA has remitted a cumulative dividend of P210,435,371.19 for 2017: P1,557,797,431.37 for 2016: P208,885,482.00. This means the agency has private investors using the facilities of a government agency. For the revenue it generates, the PRA stated it has only 72 regular personnel as of 2017 and 68 as of 2016. This concept of PRA as engaged in welfare is a pure figment of one’s imagination.
The insinuation by our senators about Chinese spies in this country need not even be answered by PRA general manager Bienvenido Chy. Instead, the general manager should tell the three stooges to address their concern to the Bureau of Immigration, or the Department of Justice, particularly to the NBI, or to the intelligence community like the National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency (NICA).
For all their hullabaloos about the intrusion of these Chinese into this country, the senators failed to mention that there are about 140,000 Filipinos working in Hong Kong and Macau all practically remitting their earnings to support their families here. Because of the increased openness, China announced lately it will hire more Filipinos to teach English. Nobody wants to speculate, but the number of Filipinos that will be working in China will dramatically increase. It is a pity that many of those professing their love for America have nothing to offer except for the promise of freedom and democracy which has lost much of its intrinsic value and meaning.