NIGHTMARE @ DFA Philippines (Department of Foreign Affairs)

I Ladies and Gentlemen am a very PATIENT person... yes very very patient indeed... Just this wednesday, I went on to the Department of Foreign Affairs to claim my authenticated Transcript/Diploma. I'll tell you the story...

It was a tiring day at work, I made reports (a bunch of numbers...went crosseyed afterwards), and a short presentation (about a few slides...well okay maybe more) and made corrections on them at work... when I logged out, twas about 7 in the morning already...Sunshine Cruz was staring and glaring at me while walking.. It was hot... I knew I was but it was reaaaaly hot... So I mustered up my urges...and decided to fix my papers at DFA instead of going to the gym... boy! was I in for a surprise!

I was sleep deprived, rode the MRT and a short jeepney ride to the government office...when I went in, it was the wrong place to go to... kind lady guards warded us off to Roxas Boulevard and asked to go to the CHED office located there... it was a short walk... I said to myself "Hey! this is easy!" and so I thought...

So counting the hours, I was about 15 hours awake... at about 10:30am I went inside DFA in Manila and proceeded to read the instructions how to get my Authenticated Transcript and there in the wall it says:

Step1: Ilagay ang CLAIM STUB sa kahon sa table1 at hintaying matawag. (put the claim stub on the box located at table 1 and wait to be called)
Step2: Matapos mahanap ng releasing officer ang inyong dokumento, bayaran ang kaukulang authentication fee (100/doc) sa cashier. (After the releasing officer finds your document, pay the corresponding authentication fee (100/doc) at the cashier).
Step3: Ibalik ang original receipt (pink copy) sa kahon sa table 4 at hintaying matawag muli para sa release ng inyong authenticated documents. (Return the original receipt (pink copy) on the boxprovided at table 4 and wait to be called once authenticated documents have been released)


Oh... I said to myself, I thought since I was already holding a claim stub I'd be just giving that and getting my papers...but nooooo! So I said to myself, that was just 3 steps right? well that should be easy since I saw they were all sitting and waiting there...I thought everything was normal...

I went ahead and got on table 1 and put my claim stub on the box at around the same time...about tennish... and eagerly awaited this fast service... coz it was really just a single piece of paper I was waiting for... but oh my oh my oh my... I waited with these people:

1st hour

2nd hour

3rd hour

Now for a single piece of paper... I WAITED THE 3 LONGEST HOURS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!
Not to mention that in this not so well ventilated room, it was like a BAKERY... I mean it smelled PUTOK ( a term coined after a bread that bursts and means Body odor) ... (-_-)" I was in a nightmare... I just imagined class C D and E were all there trying their luck in other countries, and apparently smelling like that too... meaning thousands of people would go to the same ordeal that I went through and the DFA did not realize something is reaaaaly wrong with 3 long hours just for a single receipt... I told the lady who gave me the paper a piece of advice... DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...

So I paid the amount...and went back to the room and placed my pink slip on table 4.. I said Oh my... my agony is ending! Yehey!

Then after two and a half hours more....

Yes, it took them about 2 and a half hours just to get the authenticated paper given to me... Yes I implied... I was lucky, I was not the man I met at my side cursing everybody at front already.. I said why should I complain when this old man (probably at his 60's) waited far longer than me... from 9am to 4pm in the afternoon... imagine that huh?! Talk about caring for the Senior citizens!

I was young, but when I went out of that shack I was old and tired... I tried to sleep... but I almost forgot yeah, I had work that night too... and so I was awake for about 23 hours straight... and a single power nap was only for comfort in about less than an hour before I login back to work... yes ladies in the house! and men in the house! The DFA is a nightmare as far as Service is concerned... now I award myself with the medal of ULTIMATE PATIENCE... and may the omnipotent have mercy on their souls....

Department of Foreign Affairs, people there and fellow citizens... There is something wrong with your system, and I'm quite sure it ain't me! Fix it and don't waste hundreds and thousands of OFW's who serve this country regret they ever came back again... not with that kind of office... its not world class... its just shameful imho. Get it? Got it? Good! Get someone else to do your jobs for you! You just can't do it right so get somebody else who can! Thanks! *grin*