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Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Obenieta: Alien affairs
By MYKE U. OBENIETA
SOUND OF MOSAIC
If you want to know how masochistic you can get, there’s no need to self-flagellate. Easy does it, just go to any government agency, and more often than not, you’d likely see it’s almost like performance art to test your threshold of tolerance.
All right, ask those who’ve gone into the labyrinth of bureaucracy and came out of it as though they’d rather be a matador in a bullfight next time around.
My friend Cathy V., who’s now working in the States, just whooped it out when the embassy granted her petition for her son here in Cebu to go and stay with her abroad.
With adrenaline overdrive, she assiduously followed all specifications regarding passport requirements for minors (below 18 years old) posted in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website. If she thought she was breezing through it, wait until she dealt with the DFA office here in Cebu.
The rest is her story:
“I went to the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles and submitted a Special Power of Attorney appointing, naming and constituting my sister Rowena full power and authority to do and execute on my behalf, all matters pertaining to my son.
I personally ap-peared and actually spoke to Vice Consul Noemi T. Diaz who signed and authenticated it. Diaz assured me that everything was in order.
I was shocked when Rowena told me that a certain passport processor, Jackel Zulita, didn’t honor the Special Power of Attorney! And she was told that there were other requirements. What other requirements, aside from the Special Power of Attorney and an authenticated photocopy of my passport and my annulment papers?
What the f___ do they want? Grease money? This has been very, very frustrating for me. And as if that was not enough, here’s what happened when I called the DFA office in Cebu (phone numbers 256-3193 or 253-6798).
The secretary of the director told me that the director was out to lunch and if I can just please call back in five minutes. In the meantime, she wanted to know what my problem was so I told her my case.
By the time I was done explaining the whole story to her I asked her if the director is already there. She then told me that he was now brushing his teeth and to please call back in another five minutes.
So OK, I hang up the phone and called again in about six minutes. She put me on hold for 10 minutes and then told me to call back because he just left.
This time, I was fuming mad. I reminded her that she advised me to call... God, makabuang gyud! She put me on hold, asked me to call back and then now she’s telling me to call again? I asked her if I can speak to the assistant director instead. She passed me on to some other girl. This girl asked me again if I mind calling back. Can you imagine?!
God I lost it and started yelling at the girl. I told her if she can please have some consideration, that this was a long distance call and very expensive, that I’ve been passed around, put on hold, etc.
Finally, she connected me to the assistant director. I explained my case to her and she said that she wants to see my documents again. I asked Rowena to go back again but I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I am ready to go home and talk to the director myself. Sigh.”
So what does the DFA in Cebu have to say? Abangan…
(Michael U. Obenieta welcomes your comments at his e-mail address: yomyko@yahoo.com)
(September 30, 2003 issue)
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