PRA pushes Cebu as retirement destination

CEBU, Philippines - Because of in-placed tourism facilities and high quality support services from the health and wellness industry and housing and entertainment sectors, Cebu has been chosen as one of the retirement provinces that are being promoted by the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA).

Together with other provinces like Baguio in Northern Luzon, Clark and Subic, Tagaytay in the Southern Tagalog region, and Davao in Mindanao, Cebu has been specifically identified as one of the retirement areas in the country because it has all required facilities to accommodate the influx of foreign retirees, said PRA chairman retired general Edgar Aglipay.

He said that through their so-called Local Integrated Retirement Area (LIRA) project, the business establishments and the government sector is brought together to a mutual covenant of supporting our local retirement industry.

Recently, Cebu’s city council, other government representatives along with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and major stakeholders in the housing, real estate, hospitality and medical tourism industries have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) in support for the LIRA project which will promote Cebu as a retirement haven.

“If we are going to wait for retirement facilities to be developed, it will take so much time so we have thought of integrating all the facilities in our key cities instead so we can provide all the best preferential services to our foreign retirees,” said Aglipay.

He said that for Cebu in particular, its golf courses, top-end hospitals and world-class condominium developments are already in placed and these are among the things that retirees are looking for in a particular area where they would want to retire.

Other than the LIRA, Aglipay said that they are also doing other approaches in promoting our retirement industry such as developing big corporation integrated areas which integrates hospital facilities with a nearby residential facility and entertainment venues.

There is also a so-called small town integrated areas wherein bed and breakfast systems are developed in a small town and the group-home system which puts in one residential facility a big group of retirees tended by a group of doctors.

Meanwhile, Cebu Investment and Promotions Center (CIPC) managing director Jose Mari Yu said that for the past five years, they have managed to attract investors to come to Cebu and put up manufacturing firms and business process outsourcing operations like call centers in the area.

He said that now is the time to do the next step which is to promote Cebu not only as an investment destination but as place to retire.

“We can ask them now to purchase or lease our condominium and subdivision units and participate in our economy through their living expenses and this way we can expand Cebu’s contribution to the country’s economic development,” said Yu.

“We just have to position Cebu as a retirement destination and as a second home by creating a value proposition and to do that all stakeholders need to get our acts together and promote a Live in Cebu campaign,” added Yu.

Meanwhile, Department of Tourism (DOT) Central Visayas regional director Patria Aurora Roa said that Cebu has a huge potential to fly high as a retirement destination.

She said that by the end of this year, PRA will already be attached to DOT because of the implementation of the Tourism Act which was previously signed and with this development; they are looking at establishing closer relationship with the agency.

“DOT is looking forward to a closer relationship with PRA in promoting the retirement program of the country. Cebu will fly high as a medical tourism destination and we hope to soar higher and get more warm bodies to Cebu.,” said Roa.

Right now, PRA has 21, 000 foreign retiree members from 17 countries worldwide and about 900 of them are in the Visayas region because of the fast development in the area.

PRA is also currently declaring more areas in the country that can provide products to support the Philippine retirement industry and some of which include: La Union in North Luzon, Cabanatuan and Zambales in Central Luzon, Legazpi City in the Bicol region, Iloilo and Bohol in Visayas and Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga in Mindanao. — Rhia de Pablo