Seriously, DFA?

Lining up for a passport renewal in the Department of Foreign Affairs is like having a stamina workout for one’s patience. First, you have to line up before you even enter the gates. As you pass by the guards, you get frisked like some terrorist plot to put the place down. You line again for several hours, this time inside the building. Then brace yourself up for another line, from one department to another. Then pay some fees. Line up again. And finally get your picture taken.

How many of you seemed to experience this madness? Do Filipinos really want to go abroad that badly to withstand all these mayhem?

After figuring out what department I was supposed to go first in the DFA, I met one of the consuls whose blue eyeliner seemed to extend more than where a normal eyeliner would reach. She was very accommodating and was nice enough to approve my request of processing my passport today without a set appointment. However, she said that since part of my passport has been dilapidated as some parts looked smudged, I had to get first an affidavit of mutilation. And so I did. 

I proceeded to Gate 1 and found a stall where I could notarize an affidavit. It cost me 200 pesos and all the guy gave me was a paper with a seal stating that the mutilation was caused by “floods due to the typhoons”. Well, that would be correct if you would consider spilling a glass of water on your passport as floods.  I mean, if an affidavit of mutilation would act like a medical certificate, the loss should be backed up by evidence. How can we be sure that these items are really missing? In medical certificates, we need symptoms to back up our claims, how about in affidavits such as this? (I'm expecting someone to enlighten me on this.haha) And oh by the way, props to one of the employees of that stall who was playing Plants vs. Zombies. Just great.

Picture from frannywanny.com

Upon getting my affidavit, I went straight back to the consul with extended eyeliner. She told me to go to the processing  area and bring a photocopy of a valid ID and my old passport. I had to endure another line at the photocopy station which was outside the building. (OUTSIDE preposition. Open space with direct sunlight enough to cause dry skin and or cancer, or both) The services itself were very expensive as they charged 24 pesos for 4 pages. That’s 6 pesos per page! Is the government serious about this?! Abuso naman ata yan sa mga consumers.

I then went to the processing area which allowed me to sit for awhile. Every 5 minutes or so, there is always that intermittent stand-up and move phase as the line goes about. I even remember the guard saying “Mabuti po ang paglalakad sa ating katawan” while pertaining to the slackers who were seemed to be glued on their seats. The Philippine Star, Twisted 9 by Jessica Zafra, andSaunders NCLEX-RN comprehensive reviewer became my best buds during the long wait.

I had lunch after that line and returned immediately to line up again for the payment. The cashiers were at the second floor. I saw a long line of people, probably with the same purpose that I have. Just to confirm, even though the sign that says “Step 2: Payment” is a hard miss , I still asked one of the employees if this was the line for the cashier. As if wanted to be heard by the whole crowd, he shouted, “Pakibasa na lang po yung sign!”. That was for me very rude. In nursing terms, this is what you call non-therapeutic communication. Is it that hard to say that this is correct line? If I were the CHED secretary, I would incorporate Therapeutic Communication in all college courses so that people could communicate more effectively with better tact.

At the midpoint of the line which took me around an hour, I overheard my seatmate say something about this line being for agency applicants. I asked again the guy who told me that this is the line for the payments. He said “Ayyy hindi dyan, derecho ka na dun sa pila sa loob. Pero magbayad ka na muna dito.” 

Arrrggghhhh! 

I wanted to re-tell him a story on what he said awhile ago when some guy asked if he was in the correct line and make him realize the time the guy wasted lining up for this. But that would be pointless.

The entire payment process lasted for about 5 minutes followed by an ID picture taking. 

So much for DFA.