Retired foreigners can pay P1.5M for unlimited legal stay in PH

Senator Loren Legarda expressed dismay Tuesday over the regulation of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) allowing retired foreigners to stay legally in the Philippines for as long as they want in exchange for a US$20,000 fee, saying it's no wonder that many criminal syndicates are able to exploit this to find safe haven in the country.

Legarda made the statement during the Senate finance subcommittee hearing on the Department of Tourism and its attached agencies' proposed P3.394-billion budget for the next fiscal year on Tuesday.

The PRA is an attached agency of the DOT.

According to PRA General Manager and CEO Roberto Zozobrado, the agency is offering foreigners who plan to retire in the Philippines non-immigrant visas for a fee of US$20,000, which can be deposited to any of its accredited banks.

If the foreigners are receiving pension ranging from US$800 to US$1,200, Zozobrado said they are required to deposit US$10,000.

For former Filipino citizens or officers of multinational organizations that are accepted by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Zozobrado said they are required to pay US$1,500.

"That's all that they need. It's a non-immigrant visa that they get and they can stay for as long as they want unless they want to change their status and go back to their countries. The benefit they get is they can enter and exit out of the country," Zozobrado said.

This prompted Legarda, who chairs the Senate subcommittee, to say: "That's why there's so many syndicates here."

Legarda asked again the PRA chief to confirm his statement, "For 1.5 million pesos, they can legally stay in the Philippines?"

Zozobrado responded, "yes."

"No wonder. I think this should be reviewed," Legarda said, adding that the fee was so "cheap" and that this should be updated.

Zozobrado said his office would work on increasing the fees.

According to the PRA chief, about 58,000 foreigners retired in the Philippines from 1997 up to the present.

Most of this number are from China, followed by South Korea, Zozobrado said.

Legarda stressed the need to balance attracting foreign retirees and security issues "brought about by foreign nationals who do criminal activities in our country," considering the Philippines' porous borders.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the DOT fully supports President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s position with regard to the nation's security, although the department also recognizes the "trend" that other countries have adopted, especially the Philippines' competitors in the ASEAN pertaining to the liberalization of the issuance of long stay visas.

She mentioned "security blankets" that are instituted to ensure that this type of visa won't be utilized by syndicates.

However, Legarda still raised the need to vet and check the background of the foreign nationals who want to retire in the Philippines.

Zozobrado said the PRA has access to the database of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), and that the former also requires foreign nationals to secure police clearance from their country of origin.

Legarda then asked PRA to submit the data of the 58,000 foreigners who retired in the Philippines, including the information of their countries of origin, as well as the information on the agency's vetting process. — VDV, GMA Integrated News