Envoy to expats: Retire, invest in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Retire and invest in real estate in the Philippines, especially now that the country has made it to the top 10 retirement destinations in the world.

This is the message being spread by the Philippine embassy in Washington, with Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. leading the refrain in meetings with various Filipino-American communities in the US.

Cuisia recently met with Filipino communities in San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas.

In his talks, Cuisia said that an affordable cost of living as well as warm climate and people are just some of the things that make the Philippines a top retirement destination, citing the recently released 2015 Global Retirement Index.

The index, published by International Living, ranked the Philippines as among the top 10 retirement destinations in the world where most expatriates can live comfortably for about $800 to $1,200 a month.

“More and more foreign retirees are looking to settle in the Philippines. Aside from the affordable cost of living, expats enjoy things the country is known for, such as its beaches, tropical climate, warm and hospitable people, discounts for senior citizens and the duty-free import of household goods,” said Cuisia.

But Filipinos need not wait for retirement to experience what the Philippines has to offer, he said.

“The Philippines has been receiving a lot of attention as a tourism hotspot by the international community,” he said.

He cited travel guide Lonely Planet, which recently released its Top 10 destinations in the world to visit in 2015. The Philippines ranked eighth in the list.

The ambassador also mentioned the award-winning travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler, which named Palawan the top island in the world, based on over 76,000 votes from its readers.

He noted that the Department of Tourism has proclaimed 2015 as ”Visit the Philippines Year.”

“We are counting on our kababayans abroad to help make this a success,” said Cuisia, as he invited them to join the 10th Annual Ambassador, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) in July.

He also urged them to invite their friends and colleagues to visit the Philippines with them.

During his trip to San Diego, Cuisia, accompanied by consul general Leo Herrera-Lim and honorary consul Audie de Castro, met with Mayor Kevin Faulconer and other local officials as well as members of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, the Pampangueño Association, the Pangasinan Association and the Los Chabacanos.

Cuisia also met with Filipino-American sailors under Destroyer Squadron 21 on board the USS Kidd.

Cuisia was guest of honor in a gala dinner organized by a Filipino community in El Paso that was also attended by Brig. Gen. Timothy Coffin, commanding general of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.