An NBI clearance is valid for only a year. Ours expired last September 7th, so we drove to the NBI regional office in Tacloban, to renew them. We left LIDE at 5 a.m. and arrived in Tacloban two and a half hours later.
The basic requirement for getting an application form or for renewing the expired clearance is the presentation of 2 valid identification cards at window A of the office. The following are the acceptable ID's: SSS/GSIS , E-card, voter's, company, senior citizen, school, postal and passport. For our renewal, we presented the expired NBI clearance certificate, along with our identification cards. After filling up the info blanks at the back of the old clearance, we submitted them to window B. It was a breeze. The process took us only a few minutes. We were done at about 8:30. However, the waiting time for the release of the renewed documents was a different thing. All morning applicants were told to return at half past one, which meant that we had to "kill time" - for 5 hours!
To be able to do that without "dying" of boredom, we decided to go to the San Pedro Sea Restaurant of the Leyte Park Hotel. It used to be the only 5-star hotel in the region. I don't know how it rates now. Well, the food bill was certainly still 5-star. Anyway, okay na rin, maybe we were charged for the ambience.
We still had about 3 hours left before the return to the NBI office, so I suggested that we go to the Caluwayan Beach Resort in Marabut, Samar. It's about an hour drive from Tacloban, through the beautiful San Juanico Bridge. We stopped for gas at a Shell gasoline station, and off we went. I changed my mind when I saw the Babatngon road sign. I suddenly remembered the Rafael Farm so I cajoled him into going there instead. Pete was a champion debater in school, but he has never tried his debating skill with me. So he said," Of course, we should go to Rafael Farm instead." He said that with the sweetest smile that he could muster at that moment.
The place has improved so much since the last time I was there with the LIDE Ladies Club. We had lunch of fresh garden salad, grilled tanguige, baby back ribs, pandan rice, turon (for dessert) and their rated iced tea for drinks. The latter is more like a soft ice cream with the iced-tea flavor. Very refreshing! It was a good lunch, after which we relaxed for about thirty minutes in their very comfy and rustic seaters and butaka.
There was already a long line infront of Window D, which is the releasing section. You could just imagine how stressed I was to be told to call them up on 29 October as I was in the HIT list again. HIT in NBI parlance means that one has a namesake who has either a pending case or a criminal record. I went inside their office and requested for an audience with their office head. I was adamant at first, because I was given a clearance last year, meaning to say that they have verified everything. Why on earth would I be subject to the same SOP again? Besides, I haven't been charged of anything, not even of jaywalking or any traffic violation. I deserve to be given an NBI clearance! Mr. Lemuel Yu very patiently and respectfully explained that records at the NBI central office are never revised. No revision, no addendum, no nothing; which means that the same thing would happen everytime I renew my NBI clearance.
The people in the regional office should not be blamed for it, because they have no access to the central file. They only print whatever Manila sends to them. Dad called up a friend, Dan, who hails from Tacloban. Dan contacted Atty. Antonio Pagatpat, who is the Director of the Region 8 NBI regional office. He was very accomodating and in well chosen words, explained to us the process.
I understand that the employees in the regional or district offices have no control over the system on how things should be done. If no notes are added to the old file about verifications done, people like me, who happen to have the same name as those who are charged with crimes or convicted law breakers. would have to go to the NBI office at least twice everytime a clearance renewal is needed. With the high cost of travel, even the clearance is not within the common tao's reach anymore.
I wish someone in the upper hierarchy would take the cudgel of improving the system to be able to give us, Filipino citizens, the good service that we deserve.
I wish it would be SOON. But isn't that like wishing for the moon?
