Passport Fiasco Part 2: The Tale of Two DFAs

For this post, let's just call DFA Aseana at Macapagal Blvd as NDFA (New DFA, although an inside CMSC joke would be Nondeterminsitic Deterministic Finite Automaton; yes I taught CMSC 141) and the DFA at Roxas Blvd as ODFA (Old DFA). 

What happened before: Mykmyk was asked to produce his non-existent passport. If there was any consolation, the guy in Door 1 Window 1 told him that if he can produce his travel documents, he can just breeze in to the window, no more reservations or lines...

And so that was what I did. Armed with my mom's passport, and the translation (for her entry to the Phils with my kuya which) she got some time ago from ODFA, I went again to the NDFA.  Before going to NDFA though, I tried to call up both offices to no avail - all lines were busy; all operators were caught up as well.

I went to Window 1 and explained my case again, but this time, I showed my mom's passport and the translation. The same man who asked me the day before then took my existing documents together with my new proofs, and told me, "maupo ka muna dyan" - a positive sign, I was hoping. I was not seated for long when my application documents now had a stapled little pink paper. "Pumunta ka sa director's office dyan lang sa paglabas, same building." Having git my spirits up a bit, I found myself at the director's office and gave my documents to the guard.


Inside the director's office were a lot of Muslim brethren, which later on I will discover were there for their hajj travel preparations. There were signs such as "Citizenship cases only", and "Invsetigation Division". Judging from the people, and the signs, this is where the special cases are brought in, cases like mine. Observing from the documents that people submitted, (most of) their docs were stapled with a little blue paper, which went to the citizenship cases. While waiting, I did not read my usual passing time book. I was keen not to miss my name being called, which was a possibility, with the noisy chatter of some of the people inside the office. Some people came and went, and it is not until 80 minutes of waiting that my name was finally called. 


I did the same explanation, and once again showed the officer who asked me my proofs. Then she asked me about the translated part of my mom's passport.
"Saan mo pinatranslate to?"
"Yung mom ko po ang nagpatranslate, sa DFA (ODFA) Legal po."
"Nasaan ang original?"
(I handed her the original, with the blue pen signature of the "executive director")
"Talaga? Bakit walang dry seal?"
"Hindi ko po alam, yung mom ko po ang nagpagawa niyan para po sana sa pag-apply ng kuya ko sa passport niya. Sa DFA Legal nga po niya pinagawa."
"Ganito, hindi ko pwedeng tanggapin 'to... Pumunta ka sa embassy nila (KSA) tapos ipatranslate mo yang passport ng mommy mo."
"Hihingi pa po ba ako ng may dry seal pag galing sa kanila?"
"Basta, tatanggapin ko yung galing sa kanila. Kung magagawa mo ngayon, ok. Kung bukas o sa ibang araw, ok din lang. Basta dumiretso ka na dito, wala nang pila."


I went out of the office and called my mom. To be honest I was once again disappointed, but I promised myself before going to NDFA that I'll be stronger, no matter how hard the circumstances would be. When I explained the conversation to my mom, she replied in a shaky voice, "Nakakainis naman sila... Eh galing naman sa kanila yun." Why would the officer not direct me to their own department's translating services? She hung up after I agreed that I should go back to DFA Legal. More than disappointed, I was a bit furious inside. It was one thing to shake me off the day before, but putting my mom's effort to waste as well, that was another thing. "A Lannister always pays his debts", that thought actually crossed my mind.


It was way past lunchtime, I rode the jeep with the MOA-LRT-MRT signage. Planning hard on my "battleplan" while riding the jeep actually made me miss getting off at MOA, where I earlier planned to eat. So I got off at LRT instead and found myself at McDonald's Buendia-Taft. As I munched to ease my groaning stomach, my plan became clearer. My battleplan was this: go to ODFA today, since if ever I really need to go to the KSA embassy in Makati, I could google it up tonight and go there after my interview (at Makati) tomorrow. 


Around 2pm, I arrived at the ODFA. Of course, fixers were here and there, before approaching the actual building, trying to fool unknowing first time goers. "Lolokohin ka pa non no?", another applicant with business at the ODFA told me while walking. "Oo nga eh, alam ko naman na fixer siya. Nakakaasar lang.", I replied. I actually encountered some stories in the net regarding these scum.

I went to the 2nd floor of the ODFA building where the Arabic to English Translation services was found. Three people were already waiting, but no officer was there. I inquired from one of the two women in line and learned from her that the officer went upstairs the 3rd floor together with their documents. It gave me relief that the officer will surely come back, so I decided to read my passing time book. Around this time, Accenture would remind me through text of my interview at Navitaire for the following day. After 40 minutes since I arrived, the 2nd floor guard called the 3 people to ascend upstairs. I asked her if the officer will come back, and she reassured me to just keep patient. Twenty minutes after that (or a full hour since I arrived), I was called to go upstairs as well


Bulwagang Blas Ople, the room was called, after I climbed the stairs and changed IDs (ODFA visitor's IDs are color-coded, and since I changed floors, I was given a different ID too). I stated my case to the person in the information desk and he called another person in the (big) room. The person in the information desk is older than the person he called, but both can be considered "dinosaurs" - as students will put it. Not so young, or old, or old enough to be considered "jurassic". Dinosaurs.


The person in the information desk asked upon hearing my story, "Eh nasan ang picture mo dito? Di ba dapat, may picture na nakadikit pag sinasama (sa parent's passport)?" The person he called, which I would later know as the translator said, "Ano ka ba? Ganun talaga dati, hindi na nilalagyan ng picture. Pero, eto... 'Child' lang ang nakalagay" Finally! A person who understood the trade back then. I explained that yes, only "child" was indicated in the dependents section in the visa, but that was enough proof given my report of birth, and the inclusive dates of my mom's exit and re-entry. It would take another full hour for the translations for me and my brother to be done and actually printed. This time, they printed it in official DFA letterhead, as to accommodate my request and earlier explanation that the officer in NDFA actually expected a dry seal!

So there it is. Some time past 4, I went back home, concluding day 2 of my passport processing calvary. I hate to say it, but yes, a part 3 is inevitable as I haven't finished the actual application process yet. Tomorrow, after my interview, I plan to go back to NDFA and submit the translation from ODFA. If they would deny that... I don't know. I really don't know. Thank you to all who had been praying and all who had been wishing me luck. Aside from the passport process, my interview would be a highlight tomorrow, since the position offered is somewhat a dream position for me since my resignation last May 31st.

I hope tomorrow would be the end of a trilogy. I don't plan to match Planet of the Apes' number of sequels, or worse, Star Wars or Harry Potter.






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UPDATE
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I went to the Royal Embassy of KSA last Friday at Makati in between my interviews. I originally planned to go back to the DFA that afternoon, but since there was another interview on 3 pm, I went to the embassy instead since it was just some minutes walk from Paseo/Ayala. And guess what they told me at the embassy? They don't do translations. They directed me to OMA instead at Fairview, Office of Muslim Affairs.

So, I'm going to try to just present the translation from ODFA - OUMWA, Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant and Workers Affairs. It's a translation from the same department, this time with a letterhead. Will they accept it this time? I've got my fingers crossed.