February 22, Monday – I left my family (Tina + Gabby) at home (date was declared as special local holiday for schools because of EDSA Revolution anniversary) and rode LRT line 2 from our place, then MRT from Araneta Center-Cubao Terminal Station up to this EDSA-Taft-Pasay LRT Station.
I went to Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City to get Tina and Gabby’s new passports. Believe it or not, it took me only less than 5 minutes to claim it. So their previous green passports are now machine-readable-maroon…(sometimes, I imagine them blue! *wishful thinking*)
I renewed mine 2 years ago and will expire 2013 while Tina and Gabby’s passports are valid until 2015.
Allow me to share these old and new passport photos of our little biggest bundle of joy…
Isn’t he a grown little good-looking man at 5 ? 
That photo on the right was taken at 4:30AM hence the morning face. 
How time flies so fast! His first passport + photo were taken when he was 4 months old; apparently, he’s really a happy baby; the photographer at the studio in a mall did not find any difficulty making him smile giggle. His old passport was stamped at Hong Kong, Brunei and Auckland, NZ airports. We traveled with his Graco stroller then; even used it on buses in NZ.
I have claimed their new passports in a jiffy but they have applied for its renewal for several hours!
Flashback : February 01, 2010, Monday – Gabby was absent from preschool class and made a personal appearance at DFA. Although kids of his age who’d like to apply/renew their passports can just leave everything to their parents/guardians, and adults can have the process via on-line scheduling too, Tina and I opted to do it traditionally and brought Gabby to avoid any hassles. Turned out to be we’re in for a big old hassle!
Ang saya! We woke up at 3:30AM and arrived at DFA at around 4:30 in the morning. The basketball court-waiting area was already packed! Nothing has changed since I have renewed mine a couple of years ago. Unlike Boarding Gates at any airports where passengers with child/ren and/or geriatric individuals may board first, at DFA, they only give considerations to pregnant and old applicants only.
Yes, it was very systematic but looong queues were still there. We’re done with application, verification, processing and encoding (inside the DFA auditorium) at 9:20AM flat. It was really exhausting. :(
Imagine, until last Monday, the scene was the same…
But let’s thank God for change! Have you heard that DFA Consular facility +passport services will be moving to its new state-of-the-art building located at Diosdado Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City ?
“Instead of sweltering heat, our consular clients will be greeted with cool air at the moment they enter our doors. Instead of monobloc chairs, they will wait their turn sitting on ergonomically-designed stainless steel benches. Instead of long queues, they can shorten their wait by accessing our online appointment system. Instead of going from building to building, they only need to move from ground to second floor,” DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo said.
DFA consular personnel, Romulo added, would also enjoy the convenience of modern work stations, furniture and equipment.
The building was acquired for a price of P530 million with the assistance of the Development Bank of the Philippines.
The facility will be opened to the public once it is formally inaugurated in the next few weeks. For the time being and until further notice, the consular services requirements of the public will continue to be attended to at the DFA’s existing consular facilities along Roberts Street.
Source : KBK, GMANews.TV
Ang mahal pala ng change!
OPINION COUNTS…