I am only give a review about the DFA branch within the government centre, not including the online…read morebooking system. Arriving at the mall, be sure to use the right entrance, this would be the one beside a 7-eleven along P. Tuazon. Lines are expected to be long, and in multiple lines, and you'd need to determine which line to be in, especially if your appointment with DFA is at 10AM. And the system is highly inefficient and also exhausting, lining up outside in the heat, and once appointment has been confirmed by the guard, another queueing inside, before being led to the third floor for another queue. We got called in at roughly 10:40 instead of 10:00, but once inside, the process is speedy and staff were friendly, from document checking (step 1) to paying for passport delivery (final step of renewal), it took me about half an hour.

My license has been expired for almost a year now and I finally had the energy and time to face…read moreLTO. I've been hearing nothing but good things about their satellite office in Ali Mall so I decided to have it renewed there. To my surprise, there was NO MORE LTO OFFICE there! While I was disappointed, I was also impressed to find that there was an (almost) complete government service center there, every office you'll need! They had a satellite for almost all departments with everyday concerns like DTI, SSS, NBI, DFA for passport renewal, even our local baranggay office! I loved how it was so accessible to the people without it having to be a headache (although you still had to wait for your turn). It's great to see private-public partnerships like these. They don't have to be huge collaborations, simple projects like these really help the people and the country progress!

I think complaining about the government is almost as pointless as the "G" in lasagna. There is…read morejust so much corruption and bureaucracy, that it annoys me to listen to the news and hear about the incompetencies of our government agencies. However, one of the few government-related agencies that have remained quite faithful to their service to the Filipino people is the Social Security System. I didn't even know what was the point of contributing to SSS before my company signed me up for one of their in-house seminars. SSS in Quezon City has a sprawling building and it has several floors of offices and function rooms. Their seminar was held in one of the bigger halls, and it was a session about how to make the most out of the benefits that contributors and members can derive from their monthly contributions. They showed a couple of informative videos about loans and grants that we can avail as SSS contributors. After the videos, there was a complete panel of experts that answered questions from the audience. I am glad that they have a full suite of SSS awareness seminars and I think everyone should attend their basic class on Benefits once so that they can have the information on how to make the most out of this efficient system. I didn't know that I was entitled to a lot of different loans that I could avail in case of dire emergencies. It's nice to know that I have a safety net apart from my savings account (which, to be honest, leaves a lot to be desired). They were also nice enough to feed us, which was great. They handed out snacks and giveaways like desk calendars, pamphlets and booklets on financial literacy and personal finance.

Commonly known as BAI, this is where the government conglomerate all their animal-related offices…read moreand solve animal-related issues all over the country. Most of my transactions with this bureau were with the Animal Quarantine Division (and a few times, with the Animal Welfare Division). It's where you get permits for your pets (or any animal for that matter) traveling with you internationally. Usually, my trips here would be rather short and simple. I go to Quarantine office, present the animal requirements I have, play with the resident alpha cat (who has been there for the two years I've been going in and out of here), go up to their records office, get the paper stamped, and I'm off! It's really a hassle-free (not to mention FREE) process. (Sort of surprising for a government office, actually) What you can get here is the pink and white form called "Vet Health Certification" that the airport requires to let your animals in. To get this, you need a Vaccination certificate (with a 30-day old or more vaccination stamp of Anti-rabies shot), Veterinarian certification that your pet is safe to fly, and Microchip numbers. What just boggles my mind is that in a place of a HUMONGOUS congregation of veterinarians, there are SO MANY kittens all around. Not even a spay and neuter program for their own compound? It got me wondering if being the animal industry in the government is only an 8-5 job thing, and nothing else. And oh my goodness. There are sheep. Hungry, dirty, emaciated sheep. I don't really know if I'm in a government bureau or a farm. Those sheep are put under the exposure of the sun inside an unkempt pen (and that is an understatement to describe the conditions they were living in.) Ghandi said the progress of a country is only as good as how they treat their animals. I guess Bureau of Animal Industry just really stands for the "Industry" part. It's a total heartache to go to this place.

I was really, really dreading going to a BIR because of the long queues and how stuffy the place…read morecan be. But, I found out that I needed to transfer my TIN number to a new district for my new job. Apparently, all my previous employers never told me that I needed to do this like... 10 years ago! At least this was going to be a learning experience and, even though I had to travel all the way to Makati, I had no choice but to do it. Surprisingly, the whole experience lasted for about 45 minutes with me. It would have been shorter had I not made a mistake filling out the wrong form. But, seriously. The whole process was done so efficiently without anybody giving me a hard time. Also, the representatives at the entrance will explain EVERYTHING you need to know before you even get in line. That way you and the processor know which officer you need to go to. Being the OC person that I am, this was an amazing experience! I hope that all BIR offices are this efficient now! :)

ARMMC is one of the worst hospitals in the Phils. Pls do not go there!…read more My mother is turning 80 years old this December. She has osteoarthritis due to a fall, stable angina, dementia, type 2 diabetes, and her legs are swollen due to abscesses (pockets of pus producing clear fluid). She was admitted to the ER in this hospital. The doctor only obtained her blood pressure, which is 101/74 mmHg, and heart rate, which is 101 bpm, but did not assess her oxygen saturation level, respiratory rate, temperature, or pain scale. The doctor immediately asked my sister and me if they could give my mother mechanical intubation, which I know is an invasive treatment but we refused. She was given a simple mask 10L instead. The doctor suggested to send her for dialysis but we refused because of her age and health conditions and even suggested to amputate her legs due to wounds & continuous swelling. The nurse had difficulties placing the nasogastric tube (NGT) (she seems like inexperience nurse, student nurse) I could see my mom is in deep pain. This hospital doesn't give pain killer to patients all they are concern is to give the mechanical intubation as a quick treatment. They are very poor in managing patient's pain. At last she was transferred to Chronic Disease ward after staying three days in ER. I dont know if my mother will survive any longer in this hospital:-(

It's an open secret (or, at least, it's the general notion) that most government hospitals in the…read morePhilippines are not adequately equipped nor are the corridors spick and span. So when I entered ARMMC, I was pleasantly surprised. It surely did not belong to the general category of government hospitals. In fact, its main lobby, based on design, looked like a modest version of St. Lukes Medical Center - Quezon City. There's a chandelier in the middle and the main motif is green. In terms of equipment, I was again impressed that they outdid their wealthier neighboring hospitals in one important aspect - ARMMC has an MRI. Our family had been looking for a nearby hospital offering MRI services. This was the last place we thought we could find what we were looking for. But, it's a fact: ARMMC is the only hospital in Marikina with MRI service.