September 27, 2007
I'm here...
...still here, in the Philippines, at home, writing this blog entry.
I wasn't able to fly away because apparently, I didn't have exit clearance from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Of course, I had no idea whatsoever that every Filipino working abroad (immigrants are excluded) has to pass by the POEA office first to get cleared to leave the country. If you are a Filipino and you are going to work abroad soon, please make sure to go to the POEA office (the main branch is in Ortigas) and get your exit clearance ASAP; here's how.
There I was, having exhausted all my tearful farewells, all ready to check-in, only to be told I couldn't leave. Talk about anti-climactic. My family had to fetch me from the airport, already a balikbayan. We just laughed at the whole episode. Thanks to our contact at the POEA, I was able to secure my exit clearance in record time; 6 hours, as opposed to days! My flight has been re-booked and I'm leaving (again) tomorrow morning at 8 am.
There's a reason things like this happen. I've been able to spend another day with my family, make some last minute purchases and printouts, and even watch the Ateneo-La Salle game (hahaha, talo La Salle, 1 point!). I bet tomorrow's farewell won't be as heart-wrenching.
(P.S. I am now officially an OFW, and proud of it! Mabuhay ang mga Bagong Bayani!)
...still here, in the Philippines, at home, writing this blog entry.
I wasn't able to fly away because apparently, I didn't have exit clearance from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Of course, I had no idea whatsoever that every Filipino working abroad (immigrants are excluded) has to pass by the POEA office first to get cleared to leave the country. If you are a Filipino and you are going to work abroad soon, please make sure to go to the POEA office (the main branch is in Ortigas) and get your exit clearance ASAP; here's how.
There I was, having exhausted all my tearful farewells, all ready to check-in, only to be told I couldn't leave. Talk about anti-climactic. My family had to fetch me from the airport, already a balikbayan. We just laughed at the whole episode. Thanks to our contact at the POEA, I was able to secure my exit clearance in record time; 6 hours, as opposed to days! My flight has been re-booked and I'm leaving (again) tomorrow morning at 8 am.
There's a reason things like this happen. I've been able to spend another day with my family, make some last minute purchases and printouts, and even watch the Ateneo-La Salle game (hahaha, talo La Salle, 1 point!). I bet tomorrow's farewell won't be as heart-wrenching.
(P.S. I am now officially an OFW, and proud of it! Mabuhay ang mga Bagong Bayani!)
April 26, 2007
I commuted to the Mandaluyong City Hall today to pay off the fine for my traffic violation and get my license back. It turns out that my fine was actually 500 pesos, not 250 as the traffic officer told me. But since I've been making a concerted effort lately not to be an asshole, I just shrugged and paid up.
The whole process was quick and painless. It took around 10 minutes from the time I entered the Mandaluyong Traffic and Parking Management office to the time my driver's license was released. It also helped that there were very few criminals in the office with me at that time.
The whole process was quick and painless. It took around 10 minutes from the time I entered the Mandaluyong Traffic and Parking Management office to the time my driver's license was released. It also helped that there were very few criminals in the office with me at that time.
Labels: bureaucracy, driving, traffic violations
