Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. invites San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer to visit the Philippines during a courtesy call in San Diego. With the Ambassador was Mrs. Victoria Cuisia, Honorary Consul Audie De Castro, Councilman Chris Cate and Filipino-American leader Tony Olaes. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
WASHINGTON, DC—Filipino-Americans should seriously consider retiring and investing in real estate in the Philippines, especially now that the country has made it to the top 10 list of retirement destinations in the world, the Philippines’ envoy to the US recently told Filipino communities in San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas.
Affordable cost of living coupled with a warm climate and people are just some of the few things making the Philippines a top retirement destination, said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr., citing the recently released 2015 Global Retirement Index.
The Index, published by International Living, ranks the Philippines in the top 10 retirement destinations in the world where most expatriates can live comfortably for about $800 to $1,200 a month.
Aside from the affordable cost of living, the country is known its beaches, tropical climate, warm and hospitable people, discounts for senior citizens, and the duty-free import of household goods Cuisia added.
However, the envoy said Filipinos need not wait for retirement to experience what the Philippines has to offer.
The Philippines has been receiving a lot of attention as a tourism hotspot by the international community. Travel guide Lonely Planet recently ranked the Philippines Number 8 on its list of Top 10 destinations in the world to visit in this year.
Award-winning US travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler named Palawan the “Top Island in the World” based on over 76,000 votes from its readers.
The Department of Tourism has also proclaimed 2015 as “Visit the Philippines Year,” and Cuisia invited Filipino-Americans and their friends to join the 10th Annual Ambassador, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) in July.
Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim and Honorary Consul Audie De Castro accompanied Cuisia in San Diego, meeting with Mayor Kevin Faulconer,other local officials as well members of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce, the Pampangueno Association, the Pangasinan Association and the Los
In El Paso, he was the guest of honor in a gala dinner organized by the Filipino community that was also attended by Brig. Gen. Timothy Coffin, Commanding General of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.