By Rod P. Kapunan（Special Commentator）
The Senate committee investigating the budget for the Department of Tourism has stumbled into their favourite 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 us. Their presence therefore constitutes a threat to our national security. This is no different from the US administration propaganda line in seeing in every Chinese the ghost of the devil.
To begin with, the senators forgot that an executive order was issued enticing foreigners to come provided they have $50,000 or P2.5 million cash for their retirement pay or to purchase property worth P2.5 million in this country. Not a single Chinese was asked to testify in the Senate how the PRA was approved by this chamber enticing them to come as tourist disguised as retirees.
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 on people and whimsically called retiree, they actually purchase package of benefits. For the older, they are offered medical and clinical care which reason the term retiree is used as 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.
On May 2011 Aquino issued what he call SRRV Smile in May 2011 and an SRRV Expanded Courtesy in January 2013. Since the agency is extended to foreigners 50 years old and above can avail if they have with a monthly pension of $10,000.00; or $20,000.00 if they 35 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 at the age of 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 offices 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.
Taking note of these qualifications, it would seem that the senators have a misplaced understanding about the concept of retirees offered by PRA. First, the so-called package of benefits has nothing to do with retirement where the agency acts as a trust fund that collects the monthly deposit made by the working members. Rather, it merely offers to clients how to invest their savings wisely. Whether that money come from their retirement benefit, savings or extra cash to spend is totally irrelevant. What matters is they can afford the cost.
Second, the benefits offered by the PRA are a form of investment to entice foreigners irrespective of the applicant’s nationality provided they qualify to be extended the special retiring resident’s visa (SRRV). The word retiree is more of sales talk to promote the services offered. 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 does not matter whether or not they are retirees. The PRA practically waives such important term as “retiree” provided have the age qualification. This explains why PRA can reduce the age requirement of applicants provided he state what he wants and willing to pay the benefits.
It is not the kind of trust fund associated to retired employees where somehow the amount spend is limited by their monthly contribution but now 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 came from the moneyed class.
Since the target of the PRA are mostly foreign clients and also Filipinos who abandoned their citizenship but now seeks 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 on how to generate income for the government. It does not make sense for the senators to say that there are around 27.00 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 tourist to this country. Second, the PRA does not cater to any particular national or much more ask them about their background. Thus, when these bunch of nincompoops started asking why these Chinese tourist are young to 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 anti-Chinese 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 buy our senators of Chinese spies in this country need not even be answered by PRA general manager Bienvenido Chy. Instead, 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 many of those that kept on professing their love for America has nothing to offer except for the promise of freedom and democracy which has lost much of its intrinsic value and meaning.