For the first time.
I was not disappointed by my own government.
Ever tried applying for or renewing your passport? Can you believe that a government agency can actually give you service fast and efficiently without having to bribe anyone behind the glass, or having to wait in line for hours? I couldn’t until I stepped out of the DFA Libertad entrance gate at around 9:45 a.m. last Friday, when I just entered that same pair of gates at about 9:30 a.m.
Of course, around 3-4 minutes were spent having to queue in line to be frisked by a rather hostile lady guard, who probably did not plan on getting up early that morning due to the nice, cold, rainy weather. I didn’t either, but my passport had expired last year (and oblivion was bliss until now), so time to gather my identity and get it over with.
But then again, I am a strong follower of the gods of technology and convenience so days before, I had opened my laptop, connected to the internet, and surfed on over to the DFA Passport Direct website. My mom told me to call the hotline when she handed me a flyer, but I noticed there was an even easier way to get it done. Pilipinas Teleserv has actually done the miraculous and partnered with the DFA to offer a very nice service to Filipinos.
(The service isn’t just for DFA-related concerns, but NSO too. Birth, marriage, and death certificates can now be delivered right to your doorstep.)
I just filled out the required info on the Apply Now section, selected the most convenient time for the courier service to pick up my documents, and that was it. For applicants, you need only check which documents are needed since the maroon and green colored passports are different pala. But it’s really pretty easy; you can see them here.
On the pre-set date, a courier from 2Go came to my house to get my documents but unfortunately, I forgot the fact that I was supposed to be the one to hand it over. There was still an official document that I needed to sign which no one else is authorized to. So I had to call back the hotline to reschedule another pick up.
I was pleasantly surprised that the person I talked to was very helpful and knowledgeable about the entire process. She was also very detailed with the instructions on how to get there, what to do, etc. I guess that’s the beauty of outsourced call centers. You actually get to talk to professionals who aren’t just government employees sitting in their desks, fanning their asses, taking 2-hour breaks and then closing at 3 p.m. so they can piss you off.
Nope, it was all handled very well, and I got another pickup date. It was all set and all I needed to do was go to DFA in Manila on the appointed time for my personal appearance.
No sooner had I stepped into the (surprisingly not crowded) DFA hallways, that I was asked to stamp my thumbprints onto a form, check my details and sign it, and was quickly out of there in no time.
Galing no? How much for the fast, efficient, and convenient service? P1,300. And I will tell you anytime, it was one hell of a different government agency experience, and I’d gladly pay for it again.
Well of course, it was all because of a third-party agency, but you’ve got to give the big guys some credit right? If you’ve had a similar experience, I’d love to hear about it. 
——-
Other services by Pilipinas Teleserv, and surprisingly, some of our government agencies:
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
ang galing naman nito ris!
wala pa passport si maico, i’m sure matutuwa siya na sobrang dali na kumuha. thanks for this! 
byahe na tayo? heehee. 
p.s. yung Libertad St. ba na office ris is the one in Mandaluyong?
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iris reply on August 5, 2008:
oo nga eh. buti nalang naisip nila yun! nope, ito yung sa manila. nagpasama lang ako sa dad ko kaya hindi ko rin matuturo sayo
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August 3rd, 2008 at 10:32 pm
thanks for the info! mine will expire next year and hopefully ma-implement na ung passport na may microchip like what’s in the news, para mas mabilis.
i remember nung first time kong kumuha, na-fixer ako nung mga naka-fake ID ng DFA dun sa labas mismo ng gate. bad trip yun. pero nabawi ko naman ung mga documents ko and nakapag-process ako directly. buti na lang mabilis naman
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iris reply on August 7, 2008:
sure thing aimz
the one they issue now are the new ones already, with microchip na. so ok talaga.
nakakatakot naman kasi pag bumaba ka dun sa gate ng DFA no? para kang pagkain na biglang lalapitan ng mga langgam. hehe. buti nalang nabawi mo documents mo. next time, mag-teleserv ka na!
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iris reply on August 5, 2008:
thanks liz
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August 5th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
not naman to burst your government lovin’ or something, but i think pilipinas teleserve is a private firm with a tie-up with DFA and nso
better talaga ang public service kapag privatized 
ahem.
weekend getaway naman tayo
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iris reply on August 6, 2008:
yup i knew that
that’s why i was amazed that the government actually had the brains to think of that. hehe.
or maybe it was teleserv who proposed to the government? more likely.
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August 9th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
i heard we should have MRPs (machine readable passports) already by 2010? that means we need to renew ours na rin. is that what you have now? thanks for the info, ris!
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iris reply on August 10, 2008:
yup you’re right. i think that’s the one i applied for already
no prob! so dito pa rin kayo magre-renew ng passport?
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August 20th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
that’s good to hear, iris. kasi dito sa sfo consulate, medyo nabago ang processing. before eh overnight lang, tapos released na yong passports. pero ngayon eh it takes a couple weeks raw. and one thing more, minsan eh nakakainis yong mga staff. believe me, dalawang beses na akong napaaway. may numbering system raw sila, pero pag may lumapit sa counter na may dalang food or suhol eh inuuna nila. ang bad noh? kaya inaway ko talaga, and i even wrote a complaint letter address to the consul. hehehe
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iris reply on August 21, 2008:
Philippine consulate? grabe, hanggang diyan dala ang ugali.. that’s really bad if that’s the case. buti dito they tied up with a non-government agency kaya it’s better. if not, naku sang pansitan ka naman kaya pupulutin?. hehe.
at alamo, yan ang kailangan nila, yung someone who stands up to their mediocrity. way to go, nell
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