On Love, Bigamy and Family

I would like to thank the many Filipino readers from Japan and other parts of the world who took some of their precious time to read my blog about bigamy. I got mixed reactions out of that story.

In as much as I would like to dissipate the heat arising out of being caught in between a situation wherein two fellow kababayans on the verge of losing or breaking a family, I could not do so since both parties have their own reasons. Judgment for these kinds of instances are for the court judges to decide should there be a case that has to be filed against the woman.

As far as I could understand, life is really very hard specially in the Philippines. But if we have a set of stable and strong values, hardships are just parts of our lives that come and go. If we take it up as a team, just like a family should, everything would turn out fine. Life is just like a wheel they say, sometimes we are on top and sometimes we are at the bottom; sometimes we are inflated and sometimes we're not.

Now, probably some are asking why I wrote that incident for the world to see. The reason is simple. I would like to find out how people would react to such matters concerning families. I would like to collect their viewpoints and opinions to give me a glimpse on what is really happening out there. Moreover, to be able to have a deeper understanding why these things are happening and prevalent in that place. Are our values so degraded that we already forget about our family's reputation, credibility and honor? Families that have to be nurtured, cared for and preserved. The bond that couples got when they got married is sacred. The vows that they promised each other are supposed to be immortal. However, I am just surprised even at my age, that some people are still pre-occupied with material things more than intangible happiness in this world. Material things that they won't even be able to bring when they depart from this earthly abode.

However, legally the man has a point to pursue his case against the "secretive wife." The wife has her reasons why she got married again despite of being married in the Philippines. The damage has been done not only for the man but also to the woman who I believe still love him and their family. The damage is continually getting bigger the more she stays in that place. I was caught in that situation wherein I could not readily advise the man to file his case in court and copy furnish the Japan Embassy since I know that deep in their hearts they still want to save what they have - their family.

I understand that she is just probably torn between a situation wherein she is faced with two difficult options. To clutch the knifeblade or to let go.. But in my opinion, if I am faced with the same scenario, I would always choose "the lesser evil." I don't know also if how others would react to a similar situation.

Marriage in the Philippines is irrevocable. There is no divorce yet. Marriage is sacred as I repetitively say. How could we marry another person if we don't love that person at that point that we married him/her? Yes, love eventually fades, diminishes and probably evaporates along the way. But if we consider our marriage as a bond that would serve as a guide to our family, then that shouldn't be so. We should strive hard to save the marriage and preserve the family. Not for our own sakes but for the sake of the children. We probably should work out our best to change for the better, keep an open communication line between family members and become transparent with each other's plans.

Due to these broken marriages, breech of trusts between husbands and wives who promised to love each other "in sickness or in death; till death do them part," many children would suffer all the consequences, all the karmas and all the ill effects of those events. Some might justifiably say that "We are okay. My children understands. They are happy because they are having enough money more than they could need."

Are we suppose to pay our families with money, luxuries, diamonds and golds for them to keep silently mum and be apathetic about our ill deeds?

Right now, what I could say is that question is up for you to decide on. That is why I created a poll on this blog to know how you feel about this subject matter. Just a straight answer for those who would like to join in that poll. For us to know how we are different from the rest.

Beware of DFA Passport Error Makers!!!

The Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines may be one of the busiest governmental agencies in the Philippines. As early as 5 o'clock in the morning, you could already see several lines of people who are either applying for a new passport or renewing their current passports.

The Department's security force is efficient in lining up the tremendous amount of people as they flood inside the agency's property. However, as with all governmental agencies in the Philippines, one could readily see scammers and fixers everywhere. Among them are the men and women, posing as security personnels, helping people to line up as they went inside the agency's domain and reminding applicants to buy forms, have their photos taken, bring black ballpens and of course for a fee. They are the barkers for the nearby commercial establishments that you would find sprawled outside the DFA. It is alright since these people are in a way helping the applicants before they step inside the agency's property for faster transaction and facilitation of their transactions.

A friend asked me to join her inside DFA as she applied for a new passport for his son who is a minor.

There are two options in applying for a Philippine Passport.

First is to apply directly in person, the process of the direct passport process application is clearly outlined in DFA's website
( http://dfa.gov.ph/consular/stepbystep.htm). Regular process would take fourteen (14) days which costs Php 500.00 while expedited process would take six (6) days which costs Php 750.00.

Second option, is to have an agency or agent assist you in the passport application process, the agent would just collect the needed documents and would accompany you as you submit them inside DFA. Process would take six (6) working days.

My friend decided to have an agency/agent assist her in her son's passport application since she is in a hurry. The agent/liason personnel of DFA who assisted us in facilitating the passport applications for a fee of Php 1,500.00 already inclusive of the Php 750.00 actual passporting fee. He already has a mark-up of 100% on the actual passport fee. That is alright as long as the process would be efficient, quick and accurate. That was what we thought would happen.

My friend applied for the passport and was assured that it would come out after the six (6) working days period. We went to the DFA several times since she was asked by the agent/liason to fill up certain forms inside DFA aside from the Official Passport Application Form which she had accurately accomplished early on. She told me that she was told to sign a certain CGF or form on top of the Official Passport Application Form and noticed some mistakes on her name which is entirely different from the name that she had written on the Official Passport Application Form. She was told to check the items 1-6 of that CGF form and she told me that everything was in order after the corrections that she made on the error that was done on her name. To cut the story short, we were glad that we finished the process in two (2) days and then started in counting six (6) working days from that day on.

On the sixth day, she text'd the agent and was told that her son's passport is already available. She then went to the DFA to claim the passport. To her astonishment, the surname on her son's passport was "Wrong!" She then called upon the agent and asked what happened to that passport of her son with the wrong surname. The agent instead of explaining readily said that is was her error. It was her mistake because the agent said that she didn't carefully checked the details on that CGF form. He even claimed that it is impossible for the DFA personnels (inside DFA) to make the mistake since what is written on the CGF form is the official basis for the printing of the MRP or Machine Readable Passport. My friend almost collapsed to what had happened since she is quite in a hurry to have her son join her overseas and that time is really very critical for her since she only have a few days left to stay in the Philippines.

What happened next was a series of discussions between me and the agent. He claims that it is the "official" process of the DFA to base the data of applicants on that CGF form and that the error committed by the mother of the applicant would cost her another Php 1,500.00 plus precious time.

This got my ire and I told him that legally, the basis of Passport Applications anywhere in the world is the Birth Certificate. unless of course if the surname of the child on the Birth Certificate is different then it is acceptable to the applicant. However, the name is correct on the Birth Certificate and the error that was committed was on that CGF form.

I really don't know what that CGF form is all about. But what I really understood is that the Birth Certificate should be the sole basis of the Passporting of any denizens anywhere in the world. We huggled in our discussion since he was really driving that my friend committed the error. I told him bluntly that legally he would be liable for that since all date contained in the Official Passport Application form is accurately supplied by the mother. The CGF is a tool being used inside DFA and this should not be the basis for the applicants since the public knows that the Passport Application Form is the sole basis for the data that has to be imported on the Machine Readable Passport (MRP). Should there have been any errors in between, that error is not the mistake of the mother's applicant since the error was committed while encoding the applicant's data from the Official Passport Application form should that be the case. I asked him if I could get a copy of that CGF with that error and if I could talk to a supervisor inside DFA to clarify matters and to ask for the reason why my friend has to pay another Php 1,500.00 for the reprinting of the error she didn't commit.

Upon learning that we are stiff on our stand that we want to talk to a Supervisor inside DFA, he took the printed passport with errors and told us to wait for his advise on what to do next. He then went inside DFA and after a couple of minutes, he told me to meet him up again in a nearby foodshop. This time my friend was already late for another appointment so I was left there to talk to the agent. As he explains things to me, he said that the mother has to reappear again for the reprinting of the passport. My friend was already scheduled to depart Philippines the next day since she is badly needed in her job and her leave of absence is only valid for that date. There would be no extensions that would be granted to her by her employer.

I told him that it is a big no since my friend is already about to leave the country again. He told me that my friend could make an SPA (Special Power of Attorney) with me as the authorized person to appear inside DFA. I again told him no. The error that was committed was not my friend's error and the downtime that is being suffered by the applicant is already tremendous. I told him that I would just guide my friend to file a formal complaint in DFA. After repeated discussions and upon knowing that I am really serious with this filing of complaint, we arrived at a conclusion that for my friend not to file a written complaint with the DFA , he would let me talk to the Supervisor inside DFA and that I could channel my complaints to her for this matter. So we set the date for that meeting that same afternoon after office hours which was later postponed for another day.

The day came when I met up with that Lady Supervisor inside the Agency Releasing Area in DFA. I was suppose to freely talk to her during the meet up but the agent preempted me and instead said different things as to the status of the applications. I just listened and understood that he is trying to conceal the real scenario from that supervisor. Bottomline, I just kept silent so as not to prejudice the application process and so that it would be speeded-up. What I just told the lady was the child needs the passport ASAP since he is already enrolled overseas and time is really critical. The lady supervisor told me that she would act on it.

I admire the lady supervisor of DFA for protecting that agent who is trying to make another set of money from my friend. To cut the story short, my friend through her sister just paid Php 500.00 for the reprinting and not the Php 1,500.00 that the agent is claiming.

It is my analysis that the error was done deliberately to get another payment from the applicant. I learned that from the first of Php 1,500.00 that an applicant pays the agent, Php 750.00 goes directly to the DFA specially for the expedited process, the Php 750.00 goes to those people including the agent who are behind the process. If the agent did not earn a lot from the cut that he got, he could make deliberate errors in the application process through the CGF so that the applicant would have no other choice but just to pay just to have a Philippine Passport. From this second payment of Php 1,500.00, probably the agent would get more cut than before; Php 500.00 for the reprinting; Php 1,000.00 for him and his cohorts inside DFA.

DFA Philippine Passport Applicants Beware!!!!

This is a reminder to all Passport applicants that they could directly facilitate their applications with the Department of Foreign Affairs same way as agents would handle it. This is also a wake-up call to all agents of this Governmental Institution to beware since this modus operandi is already exposed. I pity those applicants who were told that they committed errors in this CGF form and was asked again to pay another Php 1,500.00 which would make a Philippine Passport probably one of the most expensive Passport in the world at Php 3,000.00!!!

For those who experienced a similar fate, you could post your comments here and let the rest of the Philippines and the world know about these irregularities.

A Lady Who Sacrificed Her Freedom for a Man He Loved...

I learned about the story of this lady from Makati City Philippines who fell in love with a Drug Pusher whom she dearly loved and cared for. The man he loved was a drug pusher who was never been caught during his active drug dealing career. This woman who had a child with a former husband lived-in with this drug pusher and almost did everything for him - literally took care of him just like a baby while the drug dealing boyfriend supported her and her child's needs. Due to the notoriety of illegal drug trades in that area and the clean up drive of the politicians to rid the city with illegal drugs, her boyfriend was on the top list of those who are in the Order of Battle with the Drug Enforcement Unit. However, he always eluded arrest. Some say he has an amulet while others say that it is just pure luck. Then came a time wherein a group of armed men from the Drug Enforcement Unit of Makati went to their house. She was washing clothes at that time and was only clad in thin shirt and shorts. The men were obviously looking for her boyfriend who was not in their house at that time. She was dragged, tied up, was slapped, punched several times with almost all her clothes ripped off from her body and was taken prisoner to the nearest police station in Makati wherein she was jailed and was later charged with drug dealing crimes she had never done before. This lady is not even a drug user. Her only crime is that she fell in love with a drug pusher who was never caught. She was charged with illegal trade of prohibited drugs and was sentenced to serve a lengthy term in jail. One thing that baffles me up to now was that her real name was different from the name that was charged and incarcerated. I am really perplexed on how things like this could be done unseen and unnoticed by authorities. She never even squealed the acts of her boyfriend and never even reported of his drug trades but instead kept mum and silently suffered inside that jail just to be able to show and prove to the world what real love is all about... She kept silent even for a fact that the name that was charged was not even her real name meaning she is not the person that was supposed to be inside that jail. A jail wherein she had suffered for almost a decade now without even knowing why she was there and without even being given the chance to prove her utmost innocence... Her mission is just to protect the man he loves no matter what the costs might be.. I wish that there would be legal vanguards for this kind of folks who were caught between the crossfire of crime and passion.. I wish that she would be able to get the justice that have been denied for the sake of truth...