Passport Renewal Horrors...

(note: This entry is just oozing with frustration and disappointment. I have nothing against the DFA or the people in government service. In fact, they're to be somehow admired for having the patience and the perseverance to deal with limited resources day after day. I'm just really annoyed at the whole situation, and this is one of the moments when I dream of what it's like to live in a First World country.)

This morning, I was at the Dept. of Foreign Affairs to have my passport renewed. Since I knew I wouldn't be doing any out of country trips, I didn't renew my passport immediately, and it has expired for about two years now. That was a major mistake.

Anyway, when I got my passport seven years ago, it was a nightmare. The lines were really long. The waiting area was poorly ventilated. Office employees were yelling around. Unfortunately and really saddening, it was what could be expected of a government service of a Third World country.

I thought that since several years have gone by, things would have changed. Apparently NOT.

In fact, it seems like it's gotten worse. I was at the DFA office by 7AM. Offices were still closed (or it looks like it), but the line was really, really, really long already. Before I could even enter the gates, there were these men (and women) wearing some ID who'd surprise you with questions, "Do you have an application form? What about photo? Can I see it?" I knew better. I don't think they're even employees of the dept. So I say, "Yes, I have an application form. Yes, I have all the requirements."

The guy goes on to ask, "Where did you get your application form?" I could feel my eyebrows rising. I wanted to say, "Uhm, you know, there's this thing called the Internet, where you can download the form." But I choose not to.

And then he sees my the background of my passport picture and says, "That's dark blue. That's not royal blue." He shows it to the DFA guard, who agrees with him. I wanted to have a heart attack. So as expected, I was directed to some studio, which charges an insane amount of P170 for passport photos.

And then, it occured to me that it must be that expensive, because the guy who stopped me will probably get a cut, the guy who agreed that my passport photo background is dark blue and not royal friggin blue will also probably get a cut, and who knows who else is going to get a cut from that P170.

As soon as I entered the DFA premises, the really, really, really long line was still there. To make it even worse, there was a security guard roaming around holding a loudspeaker saying the bad news, "Those who just arrived would only get an appointment date and then you have to come back on that date. The ones who are already inside the hall (read: basketball court) have been here since dawn. Some of them even stayed here overnight."

I was really running out of patience and I wanted to answer back, "So what you're saying is we should all be camping out just to be here early. Yeah, talk about service, huh."

Before I get into a verbal argument and dragged out of the DFA premises, I take out my mobile phone and call the 2GO Passport Renewal service. They're charging about P600 to how much the usual expedited processing fee costs, but who cares. If P600 would mean not having to stand in line, not having to put up with the hassles, then by all means, charge me P600 more.

Oh, here's one more thing that's really annoying. I was hoping to get my passport by next week because a business trip might come up. When I looked at the DFA website, it said: "... for Overtime Processing, it takes only TWO (2) working days." Whoops! Don't celebrate yet. When I checked the details on the application form and it said: "...Expedited Processing: SEVEN (7) working days..." Annoying, right?

When I spoke with the 2GO person, she said that the earliest I could get my passport would be April 5.

That's what? Three weeks?! Wow!