Defying Gravity

The past two days I came face to face with the government I read about in the newspapers and hear about from other people.

I'm not big on politics. I generally know what's going on, but because I studied US History, I tend to find out Filipino politics rather petty. It never seems to be a fight of ideals... and it always seems to be backed by some corrupt motive. Generally, I think most of our politicians are much more concerned about their pockets and the power they can weild rather than the well-being of our country. I'm sure it's not a unique thought.

Anyway, over the past week, I've had to help my Dad out in terms of getting all his government-issued IDs together. He lost his wallet about three weeks ago, which had his driver's license and his sacred Senior Citizen card. I had a lovely tug-of-war with my mother over the whole thing (see previous blog). Last week, I commuted to MMDA Orense to settle my Dad's ticket... and to my surprise, it's a traffic ticket from 1998! I wasn't even married yet! Luckily it was only a P300 fine, but damn, it makes you wonder why my Dad didn't just get it and renew his license like a normal person would. Apparently, he did the whole "under the table" thing because he was too lazy to go to MMDA! Hence, it becomes my problem...

I'm in Hell, also known as the LTO. With MMDA clearance in tow, Dad and I drive over to LTO Main, here on East Avenue, at 8:30 am. We find parking easily in the parking lot. I'm pretty confident we can get him a new license. We do drug and eye tests (my Dad can't see past line 6, but what the hell, the doctor gives clearance and tells him he "may" need glasses -- I'm thinking, "You think?"). Note the medical clinics are across the street from LTO, so we have to go through some visitor's gate. Because we're on foot, they ask us for ID and all that. Take note though, that if you drive a car and park, they require no ID from you. Which brings me to my first government annoyance of the day.

Issuing visitor IDs make sense when applied to everyone. Naturally, it's so one can supposedly keep track of who comes in and out of the LTO. But it makes absolutely no sense to ask it only from those who walk in to LTO. Think about it. If you were dumb enough to want to rob the LTO, why on earth wouldn't you bring a vehicle? I mean really, now... the logic is clearly missing.

Anyway, we head to some window, the guy tells us that we need to go to the MMDA desk to get clearance. I'm like huh, I already have certification... nevertheless, I head to MMDA desk. The nice lady checks out the papers I have, locates my Dad's 1998 license, realizes that my Dad issued an "Affidavit of Loss" for his new license and THEN tells me, I have to pay another fine.

I'm like, "For what?"

Double license penalty. P300.

Aaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

Oh and MMDA officer wants a copy of this and that and tells me to go to the canteen to get it copied. It's a racket, I tell you.

So somewhere in this whole scenario, my Dad starts bragging about he was able to get license from some other branch, not long after MMDA took his license in 1998. (MMDA wasn't computerized then.) Plus get this, he somehow managed to renew his license TWICE before this ticket reflected itself on his record (at LTO, it's called an ALARM). I'm thinking to myself, "Dad, shut up, you don't brag about MMDA corruption in front of MMDA staff..."

So Angel pays the fine. THEN MMDA office tells us to go to some other building in the back, to get the alarm lifted off my Dad's license. Can you believe this? We wait half an hour for the alarm lifting. While this is all going on, the rain is pouring. Getting wet here and there and walking here and there. Not my cup of tea.

Finally, alarm is lifted. There's more. I have to go back to MMDA officer and then she tells me to go to Window 10 to get certication of clearance. I'm like "What the fuck?" Isn't this all supposed to be computerized and connected? Why do we need another piece of paper thats acts as clearance when technically, if the alarm has been lifted, there should be no issue when you apply for a new license?!? It is all so much crap.

We wait for an hour for said clearance paper. It's almost lunch time and we haven't started on the process to actually GET the new license. Then with absolute finality, my Dad is told that since his license didn't actually expire, he doesn't need to apply for a new license. He needs to request for a duplicate of the one that got lost... at the Pasay LTO, where he applied for the license.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

In the car, my Dad and I were talking about who's paying for all these fines and stuff for LTO. Because I said I wouldn't. He wanted me to check if Rony would pay for it. Finally, I just had to say, "Look. This is your ticket. You did all this. Your mistake. Your fine. So I think it's only fair that you pay for your mistakes." Heaven knows, I'm already paying a huge amount for his business mistakes.

I did agree to pay for lunch and coffee though, and Dad was cool with that.

After lunch, we proceeded to Quezon City Hall Office of Senior Citizen (OSCA) to get his senior citizen card. A little history: Dad got his SC card three years ago in Paranaque. So when he lost it, I had our secretary call Quezon City Hall to ask about what to do. The person on the phone suggested getting all the new requirements together and applying for a new one. Fine.

We brought all the requirements and everything. Then the old guy at the help desk asks why my Dad doesn't have a card yet and he's 63. So we tell him, well, he lost it. And whoopee, we get a ten minute sermon about how filing for a second SC card is a crime punishable by 9 years, etc, blah blah blah. I'm thinking, hey it's your staff that suggested we do this route! Anyway after listening to the sermon, we are told that all Dad needed was to bring his SC booklet and a replacement ID would have been issued.

So we drive back to Times to get the booklet and come back to OSCA.

Finally, we're almost there in terms of getting the SC card. Of course, there's a request for another copy of this and that (it's a racket, I tell you). And of course something needs to be notarized. But finally, we get the card. Yes, folks, an actual accomplishment.

I'm just thankful we got some of it done. I also realize that I ended up doing alot more than driving dear old Dad around. My mom had texted me last week that I only intended to drive Dad, not pay for anything. I thought to myself, wow, if only that were true. I paid for everything in advance, I filled out forms, I walked here and there to talk to different people to find out what to do, etc. Heck, it's a lot more than driving.

This morning, I went to SSS to get my SSS ID card done. I brought an authorization lettern from my parents as well as their passports so that I could verify their SSS numbers. I got to SSS East Ave pretty early and my ID card process went by quickly. The verification process to get the SSS numbers for my folks should have been quick too... except that my parents didn't sign their passports! (I wanted to kill them both.) I had my Dad's SC card so they accepted that and I got his SSS number, but they wouldn't give me the one for my Mom. I actually pleaded but the lady said, that was their procedure so I left it at that.

You know, I can see why so many people would rather do all this stuff "under the table." It's so fucking tedious and confusing. And I'm thinking, turtles move faster than some of those government employees. It's like they want you to wait.

People are gonna kill me for saying this, but even the smallest government office in the United States does not move this slowly! I applied for a SSS number in the US after 20-something years of not having one and it was a simple process. No running from building to building. And this was in Michigan!!! I don't understand why everything needs to be so bloody complicated. And why can't our government outline steps in terms of what to do? That way, people don't need to keep asking government employees what to do next?

It was sooooo frustrating I tell you. I'm sorry if the good apples are overlooked because of all the bad ones, but damn it, that's really the case in these government offices. And if it's this crappy at those levels, you can only imagine how much worse it gets going up the heirarchy -- except now, you've got richer, more educated people being bad apples.

I'm so exasperated. And to think that's just two days of direct exposure to our government. No wonder people want to migrate.