Binay: NICA should step in; PRA: Security checks in place
Senator Nancy Binay on Sunday questioned the Philippine Retirement Authority’s policy of issuing special resident retiree visas (SSRVs) to Chinese nationals of “soldier’s age.”
She expressed alarm over the PRA policy of accepting 35-year olds into the program and cited the need for stricter vetting of the applications regardless of nationality.
The Bureau of Immigration had earlier reported the arrest of four Chinese nationals suspected to be behind the proliferation of fraudulently-acquired government-issued IDs and documents including genuine Philippine passports with questionable SRRVs.
“We expect NICA to help assess the scale of fraud perpetrated by these syndicates, and check the addresses and contact numbers provided in their ‘valid’ documents,” Binay said.
“Visa fraud and fake identities adversely impact national security,” she added.
PRA general manager Bob Zozobrado, for his part, said while the agency has been accepting retirees who are at least 35 years old since 1991, the age requirement has since been raised to 50 in April 2021.
Zozobrado said there are also existing mechanisms to check if retirees are legitimate.
“Clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation is also required for foreigners who have been staying in the Philippines for more than ninety days,” he said in a statement.
“Aside from these requirements, and as another layer of security, the Bureau of Immigration also checks in its system whether the applicant has a derogatory record before entering the Philippines as tourist and before approval of the SRRVisa application. In short, BI does the vetting twice. Derogatory checking is also required when the SRRVisa holder needs to transfer the visa sticker from the old to the new passport,” Zozobrado added.
As to the arrested Chinese nationals, Zozobrado said it was not yet clear if they are legitimate holders or SRRVs.
“But PRA can check in its database whether these subject foreigners are indeed holders of SRRVisa once the identity and related information are gathered. PRA is ready to coordinate with the law enforcement authorities if these subject foreigners are found to be SRRV holders,” he said.
Binay said these foreign nationals enter and exit the country using valid documents obtained through illicit ways.
“Chinese syndicates have likely connived, maintained ties and established networks within the government bureaucracy,” she said.
Last year, the National Bureau of Investigation arrested a high-ranking PRA official for issuing unwarranted SRRV cards to foreigners.
PRA records show that there are about 78,000 foreign retirees in the Philippines, and about 30,000 Chinese “retirees” have been allowed to permanently reside in the country.
The senator said a whole-of-government response is necessary to identify syndicates issuing fraudulently acquired government IDs including visas and passports, and pressed for tougher action against foreign nationals conducting illegal activities in the Philippines.
Last week, agents of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) investigated reports of the presence of a large group of Chinese in a village in Paranaque City.
ISAFP and NBI agents have questioned residents about the throng of draft-age male Chinese nationals residing in their neighborhood.
However, the ISAFP and NBI have yet to come out with their findings, according to the residents.
Last month, the Philippine Coast Guard said there was no basis to the speculation that dozens of Chinese businessmen previously enlisted in the auxiliary force of the Philippine Coast Guard (CG) were spying for Beijing.
PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armand Balilo said the 36 Chinese nationals registered as PCG Auxiliary (PCGA) members were never involved in its sensitive operations.
Balilo said they were “ordinary businessmen” who had helped the agency’s humanitarian assistance response, which led to them being invited to apply for membership in the PCG’s reserve force.