Category: News

Where to retire in the Philippines

Foreign retirees in the Philippines reached 29,589 as of 15th March 2013 and their number is expected to increase 5 percent annually over the next four years, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.

Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) general manager Veredigno Atienza said cumulative gross enrolment through the special resident retirement visa (SRRV) as of 15th March this year increased by 26.7 percent from 23,360 as of December 2010.

The SRRV allows foreign retiree-members to retire and live in the Philippines for as long as they want.  The visa is a privilege granted to foreigners who would like to have a permanent resident status in the country.

Tourism investments surge in the Philippines

New tourism projects endorsed by the Department of Tourism to the Board of Investments (BoI) soared 827 percent year-on-year in 2005, as local and foreign investors pledged more money for the development of hotels, resorts, tourism estates and other related establishments.

MV The World to visit the Philippines

The Department of Tourism (DOT), in a press release, said it is preparing to welcome to Philippine shores the world’s only private residential cruise ship.

Operated by US-based management company ResidenSea, MV The World, with some 150 residents and guests on board, is set to sail through the country’s prime tourist destinations including premier beaches in Palawan, Boracay, and historic places in Manila in November of this year.

Foreign arrivals rise 11 percent

International visitor arrivals in the Philippines grew 11 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2010, according to the Bureau of Immigration.  It said a total of 1.081 million foreigners arrived in the January-April period, up from 982,432 visitors who came in the same period last year.
Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said this signals a positive development for the country’s tourism industry.

Foreign immigrants in the Philippines

There are about 200,000 foreign nationals who are now staying in the Philippines on immigrant and non-immigrant status, according to the Bureau of Immigration.  As of 1st January 2011, the bureau has registered 90,413 foreign immigrants and 98,733 non-immigrants.

It reported that over the past three years, the number of foreign migrants in the Philippines increased 50 percent from 60,554 in 2007 to 90,413 in 2010.  This was linked to the large number of Chinese nationals who migrated to the Philippines.

Mount Samat Zipline

Pilar town in Bataan built what could be the longest zipline in Luzon.  Pilar Mayor Charlie Pizarro said the Mt. Samat zipline is expected to attract environment and mountain lovers and boost awareness on environmental protection.  The zipline, measuring 540 metres long, is considered to be the longest in Luzon.  It was built on an area that is 43 metres above sea level overlooking Manila Bay, Pampanga and Bulacan.

Best parks in Asia

Rizal Park, or Luneta, is among the best parks in Asia, according according to a study conducted by booking website Agoda.com.   Luneta placed eighth in a list of best rated parks in Asia.  The results of the survey are based on... Read More | Share it now!

KidZania Manila opening in 2015

KidZania, one of the world's fastest-growing family edutainment centres, is set to open a PhP1-billion interactive, kid-sized city in the Philippines next year.   KidZania Manila, currently being developed in Bonifacio Global City in... Read More | Share it now!

Cebu Pacific to fly to New Zealand

Cebu Pacific has been designated as an official Philippine carrier to New Zealand, Myanmar and Canada. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said the decision was made at its recent board meeting, which also granted Cebu Pacific additional entitlements... Read More | Share it now!