This morning, before 8, I was up and ready for the long day ahead. But my Wheelmobile was late, maybe a good ten minutes. So I was waiting at the gate when it came.
As usual Arnel asked, “Ma’am saan punta natin?” I said “Sa NBI Carriedo, City Hall at iba pa.” Mentioning the other destinations tired me. Then I asked which would come first, he said Manila City Hall so I said to go there first.
He no longer took the Libis route but instead went through White Plains, EDSA, Annapolis, Connecticut, Ortigas, past Santolan, on to Aurora Boulevard. When we arrived at CIty Hall, I saw this old man in a linen polo barong (as opposed to a jusi one) glance curiously at the Wheelmobile. How I wished it were Mayor LIm so I’d have seen him in the flesh. Why? Wala lang. As we wheeled to the gates of the City Hall, I saw two people clad in orange walking in, musical instruments in hand. What was the occasion? I didn’t know then and by the time we left, maybe 20 minutes later, I still didn’t know. They were still assembled in front of the Mayor’s building.
So what did I do at the Local Civil Registry this time? Showed my newly minted transcript of records from Ateneo except that the girl in charge again said “this doesn’t tally with the copies you presented the other day.” SO I handed over what I thought would pass for the original of what I sent her because it was from this that photocopies were made. She said “This is also a photocopy.” It was yellowed, for heaven’s sakes. But good thing she didn’t remark that perhaps I had drenched it with coffee. Did I tell you before that she said that of a poor woman’s papers? I also handed over the original and photocopies of a land title with my name Ma. Antonia ____. She asked us to xerox the new transcript of records and voila we were done. When I asked Sally, the girl who kept the files what was next, she said after 10 days.. you get the tedium: Sta Mesa NSO, back to Manila City hall for the certificate of Finality which we’d have to pick up and bring to NSO QC for a corrected copy. How long will the string of events take? Give or take two months. I can rest.
Next stop: NBI Carriedo. I so wanted to take pictures. As Janno advised me yesterday, it’s in Carriedo Plaza which is behind SM Carriedo. Arnel had warned me the streets in Carriedo were narrow so we might not be able to get through. Well he was right. Before we could even attempt, a parking attendant in a City of Manila uniform told us to park in front of PB Com or some bank building. I thought it was the NBI office na, but I wasn’t that lucky. We had to wheel a block away, past sidewalk vendors and the like selling all sorts of stuff: fruits galore for one.
Then I saw Carriedo Plaza which had on it signs that indeed, the NBI Clearance Center was up there. Oops, three cobbled steps to negotiate. But luckily, Arnel was with us and it was he who asked the guard to help out. Before we did go up, someone suggested we take the door on the side, but Arnel refused to listen. Hmm, I think he had a reason for refusing. But I don’t want to elaborate. Oh okay, maybe he feared it was a fixer talking to him?
At any rate, my wheelchair and I were lifted up the steps, told to go straight in and turn left at the end. What did we pass? Glass encasements of jewelry, cellphones, etc. I had been warned so I wasn’t taken too much aback although the sheer volume of merchandise was a bit rattling. Was this what the number something store in Divisoria looked like?
As we turned left to the place near the elevator, I saw a Chinese resto across the street and thought aloud about eating there later; a lady in uniform was smiling as she listened to us. As a couple of men unloaded materials packed in kraft paper from a trike (I thought they might be bond paper except that they weren’t that big), she spoke to them. Then the elevator came. She let us go first.
I asked if she was from the NBI, she said yes. I asked where we’d have to go down and when she learned why we were there, she said we should go straight to the sixth floor. I asked if she were the boss because she was so kind and she said, “no, rank and file lang ako.” I wished aloud, “Sana ikaw na lang ang boss at ang bait mo.” She smiled.
She also went down on the 6th floor and led us to Rm 604. The main door opens to at least 3 other rooms. She led us to a lady who, when she saw me asked, “Ikaw yung tumatawag?” I think it’s my wheelchair, or my beautiful voice? Just kidding. She promptly gave me a form to fill up. She was INday whom Janno said I should look for.
When a not too tall man came in, he asked, “Ikaw yung tumawag kahapon?” See I’m famous at the NBI in Carriedo because I called I don’t recall how many times. I really wanted to know where NBI was and what documents I should bring.
While when we arrived there were 3 personnel and just as many clients, people started streaming in, a number of them Chinese (name change), some getting 2 clearances (just in case they’d commit mistakes filling them up daw), some for N something, the document required of nurses. SOme for travel abroad. At one point, Janno came and said, “Two o’clock niyo to ma pick-up.” It was 11 by then. I said, “Ha?” Maybe I sounded like an idiot, but I was a very hungry idiot. I had texted a Chinese friend to ask him where we (maid, driver and I) could eat and I was excited. When I told my husband we might get it at 2 pa, he texted, “maybe there’s a nice canteen there.” Hahaha. I needn’t elaborate further, right?
Anyway, Inday said, “Hindi,” as she got my papers from Janno and said “tapusin na natin eto.” See, there are good and compassionate people in government offices, particularly NBI Carriedo, Room 604. Plus the lady in the elevator. A little past 11, I had my NBI clearance. Note: two of the personnel in Rm 604 were having coughing fits. Ventilation problems? Possibly. The room got hot when more people occupied it, uncomfortably hot.
In the elevator on the way down was a not so young man in an NBI jacket. I checked after he made unfavorable comments about GMA7 and even mentioned Mel Tiangco. From what I could glean, they went there, I don’t know why. The girl he was conversing with said “Di busog na busog kayo?” He answered, “Anong busog? Gutom ang inabot namin. Kahit si Mel Tiangco hindi kami pinakain.” I felt so let down that the Kapuso network does that? But of course I don’t know the circumstances surrounding the incident. Paging GMA7.
The Wheelmo driver didn’t know where Tomas Mapua Street was (my classmate recommended David’s Tea House there) so I said let’s just play it by ear, maybe East Avenue na lang as I wanted to go to SSS, NSO, PLDT, and QC Hall, all in East Avenue. Earlier my maid said we might be able to go to SSS before lunch, but I thought not. We’d just be caught in the lunch break.
As we approached Quezon Memorial Circle, I felt nostalgic. I thought of eating at Kamameshi which had been a favorite of ours when my son used to go to Dr. Carina Cruz from infancy till late grade schoolat Lungsod ng Kabataan. Of course I had apprehensions because how could I forget how the resto was were a leftist leader was shot pointblank years back? But to Kamameshi we went.
The kamameshi chicken rice was as good as ever. The beef teppanyaki lacked flavor (though in fairness, when I had it for dinner, it tasted better), the bean sprouts and dilis appetizer came after several reminders and the bean sprouts were very cold. Tempura was ok though the veggies were not bundled (carrots, baguio beans, camote) but fried individually: eggplant, okra, camote. It was not comfortably cool inside the resto and in fact there were fans turned on. The resto wasn’t full thankfully because there were only 3 or four waiters and there were a number of us waiting to be served. Will I go back? If only for the rice and the memories? Sure. I remember how the waiter there used to give my son a mound of togue which he observed my son liked. Some pictures of Kamameshi and it’s place (plate?) mat even.
At a little past 1, we hied off to SSS. Lots of people but the SSS office serving members is very comfortable: wide and spacious with enough seats and cool aircon. Thing is though, some personnel aren’t very cordial. Some are very impatient and sarcastic. As in. It’s not as though they were super harrassed because there were moments they had no one to attend to. I observed that. Lucky for us, after two personnel were a bit rude I saw one who looked kind and told the maid to bring me to her. And she was indeed very nice. In fact, when she said “45 days processing” and I said “hay, hindi pwede ngayon? Babalik pa ako para magpapicture? ang hirap”, after initially saying yes I should come back, she made a few phone calls and to cut a long story short, my SSS card should be in the mail I don’t know when. I’ll post this only when the card comes. Baka maudlot.
Points I want to raise to Chairman Nery (how I wish I’d worked under him at AIM so I could just vent my ire) – the SSS form, for one: the back stipulates what documents one must present. Below the first list is advice saying: “If you don’t have any of the above documents, any two of the following may be presented but one should have your picture.” Choices in the second list included: birth certificate, major credit card, postal ID, NBI clearance, police clearance, transcript of records. I presented the suplada lady an NBI clearance and postal ID. She insisted, “Birth certificate”. I gave my xeroxed copy. She said original. She was so abrasive I didn’t bother to say, “It says here any two” and I had more than two of the “any twos”. So my maid promptly crossed the street to the NSO where, by some force of serendipity, I had asked her to get me originals yesterday. Why? I was wondering if I needed it at the NBI; I took a chance and didn’t. So we were planning to get it after SSS. (Note: this new birth certificate looked different and my name in it was MARIA ANTONIA (not ANOTNIA — paging NSO. Birth certificates of the same person, obtained within weeks of each other, look different and even worse, have the same person’s name spelled differently from each other. What gives?)
Anyway, after she got the original birth certificates, we were with the nice lady already. Some more phone calls, she sent my maid to another building, and then we were off to Booth C for photo capture. I asked the lady there: “Are you Olive?” My sister had told me to look for her. The lady answered, “Hindi at hindi niyo naman kailangan si Olive para magpa picture.” Taray. She looked pa like a house guest we had whom I didn’t like when I was in high school. Never mind. She took my picture and had me put my fingers one at a time on this electronic thingy that emitted light. She said “huwag mo idiin masyado.” So I positioned my fingers lightly. What do you know? She held them down. Then she told me to pin 4 numbers. She said “lakasan mo.” Had to repeat that several times after she’d say “Hindi nagre-register”. Good thing I’m older now, a younger me would have cried at her attitude.
Then she said for me to write my electronic signature. She said “Liitan mo.” SO I tried. She said “wala ka bang initial?” I proceeded to sign thus. Then she said, “hindi pareho sa form mo.” And she sounded angry. Arrgh. My father always told me to sign my full name and here she was, a virtual stranger telling me something contrary to what my father of 52 years had told me to do?? The nerve. (I’m just feigning my aghast-ness at her orders but ang suplada niya talaga). So I signed my initials and complete family name and she was pacified. I’m glad they’ll just mail my ID because I never want to set foot where those toxic people are. I’ll post the picture I surreptitiously took of the nice lady though. One of these days.
Next stop: PLDT also along East Avenue to pick up the directories. Very quickly done.
Final stop: QC Hall grounds to get a police clearance. Gosh, “kawawa our policemen” (don’t I sound like a friend whom the youth would say speaks like a konyo kid – I spell it thus because I don’t know how to make enye). Their office is so pitiful. I wanted to take real pictures but didn’t want to offend anyone. Getting to it was like an obstacle course. The rains had just stopped so the grounds which weren’t completely paved had puddles of water and stone
. If a disabled person in a wheelchair had to go there alone, he would have had utmost difficulty. Luckily, someone from the police office (I’m not sure if he was a policeman because no one was in uniform except for a lady in blue police uniform) assisted my maid and wheeled me to where a table for applicants was. I got dizzy there(while he was wheeling me), ang bilis. But the men in the police clearance office were very cordial, affable, not at all scary. A bit noisy the way men are when they make kwento (ay, the konyo kid resurfaces) . Kudos to them. ANd luckily, I had a 2 x 2 picture which they scanned so that they had no need to take my picture. The guy kept saying “Para hindi ka na kailangang tumayo.” I wanted to tell him, “kahit tutukan mo ako ng baril, hindi ako makatatayo.”
As we waited for my application to be paid by the maid in a building some meters away, Arnel told me of another disabled passenger of his who got his NBI clearance in the QC Hall grounds without going down the Wheelmo. The NBI personnel did the fingerprinting and photo capturing while the Wheelmo’s engine ran.
Pwede pala yon? But I guess it wasn’t for a change of name NBI clearance request. Besides, like I may have mentioned earlier, I wanted to go through all these with the least concessions possible.
Is my saga with government offices done? No! Far from it except that for my Talisay request, my sister will take over after I send her all my documents; my son’s birth certificate, corrected version, I don’t know when.
I hope it will be smooth sailing from hereon in.
THE MORNING AFTER
My stomach ache of the past several weeks was gone. Looking back, it began with my first excursion to Manila City Hall. Apparently it was stress induced.
In an earlier paragraph, I mentioned how, when I looked at the birth certificate issued yesterday, I discovered that my name was correctly spelled. SO now I’m wondering whether I should send Manila City Hall a copy of it too. And how explain the request for typo correction in Talisay if in one version of my birth certificate, I’m indeed ANTONIA, not ANOTNIA? Ang gulo. But I think that’s too minor to stress me out to several weeks of stomach pain again.
(I’ll publish this without tags because usually those posts without tags aren’t noticed, hahaha, except by my friends and cousin. That way, hindi maudlot ang mga pending transactions ko with government like my SSS card, my son’s birth certificate which have yet to be released.)
Another thing re SSS: there was a leak in the ceiling. SO during the thunderstorm one could see and hear the rain go plop, plop, plop.
Addendum: At the complex in Quezon Circle that houses the restos, here’s one picture I took. Can you guess why I took it? Please comment so I’ll know why some people can appreciate what makes it wrong but the one who made it didn’t. That’s a ramp.
<img src=”http://visit.geocities.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1220489824″ alt=”setstats” border=”0″ width=”1″ height=”1″> 
Chris Tiu, Nonoy Baclao, eric Salamat, Jai Reyes, Franz Pumaren in comments, Franz Pumaren
The UAAP Finals: ATeneo vs. La Salle
In Philippine basketball on September 21, 2008 at 12:39 amYou’d have to be deaf and blind not to know! That today is the start of the Finals Series of the UAAP and the two teams involved are Ateneo and La Salle. It is crazy to say the least.
WHy do I say deaf and blind? Yesterday at rustan’s while looking at some bags on the second floor in Shang, the sales clerks were talking about Chris tiu and the UAAP.
Yesterday, tiu, er too, the two top broadsheets supposedly had pages devoted to the rivalry. I only saw The Inquirer. Days back my husband brought home a copy of Inquirer’s Libre. A janitor in school had given it to him. And on its cover where the lead captains of the two teams: Casio and Tiu. Today Philippine Star has on it’s front page a huge picture of the two. What gives?
I am no basketball expert but I am a fan of the Ateneo team especially Chris Tiu. Okay, basically it started with the fact that he’s good-looking. Yes, I haven’t forgotten that I’m 52. But he really is good-looking and even the men acknowledge that. My son once conducted a poll between him and Piolo and no one voted for PIolo. Not the girls, not the boys. Oh well maybe it was because the boys who went to his site were all ateneans. But the girls came from different schools. One time at the Church of the Gesu, we were on our way back from Communion when who crossed our path from the door on the side? Chris Tiu and he stopped on his tracks to let us through. I blushed like a teenager and yes I’m 52.
A goddaughter who visits my multiply rationalized that for me saying every mother would also like Chris Tiu. Really funny, the Chris Tiu phenomenon.
What gives with Chris tiu? Well for one he is good-looking (yes, I know I already said that) and he’s also intelligent. He speaks well and is a Management Engineering graduate. You cannot trifle with that. He’s enrolled now for some other difficult course in Ateneo. He has a stall in Ateneo selling a chicken dish. He always looks clean though many say he actually plays rough, oh okay a bit dirty. But we Chris Tiu fans will say it’s part of the game.
What about the other team members of Ateneo? (LA Salle people, if you’re reading this, you may stop. I can’t write about La Salle because I don’t know the players and I’d rather not write anything not good about them because it’s not in my nature to do that based on hearsay). Nonoy Baclao is from Bacolod, so I’m thrilled for my province-mate. I hope he makes it in life even after the UAAP and Ateneo. Once upon a time he was beside my son at mass and when it came to the singing of Our Father, he extended his hand to my reluctant (shy of celebrity) son. And my son said “his hands are big.” Like the wolf’s in Little Red Riding Hood’s feet? Just kidding. During the Sign of Peace, he gave my son a resounding pat on the back with his big hand.
Jai Reyes. He’s like a little boy and do you notice his gait. His walk seems so lazy, his hands alternately swinging. But can he play basketball! I like Eric Salamat. He always has this happy smile when he shoots. I wish the same for him as I do for Baclao. Rabeh al-Husseini. His older brother Sharma played for La Salle so I was taken aback that Rabeh played for Ateneo. There’s a story which says his brother helped him make that decision. But I’m not telling the story.
Ryan Buenafe. For a rookie, he’s a wow. He doesn’t play like one. A prize catch for Ateneo, certainly. Yuri Escueta, he’s such a clown. Always smiling. Did you see him mimic Buenafe during a time out after Buenafe made a graceful (i’m a girl, so the description)/amazing shot? Tonino Gonzaga and Bacon Austria are my son’s batchmates. My husband knows Tonino’s mom (a former officemate of his at URC) while Bacon’s mom and I say hi to each other. Baldos is the nephew of my brother-in-law and his staying with Ateneo after years with Team B has been rewarded. He now plays with Team A and has had his moments. The two Americans: Long and Burke. Long has been a year longer with the team than Burke and he shows promise. Some young girls I know have a crush on him. Chua has not played too much but he’s also from Bacolod.
Obviously it’s Ateneo I want to win in the finals, if only for Chris Tiu and his team mates. People who know me know why I write that way.
Will I watch the games later? I’ll try to distract myself unless Ateneo has a comfortable lead. years back, when I was very passionate about the school, I was watching the game on TV when ouch, my eye stung. When I looked in the mirror, there was a red thingy on it, like a vessel had burst? I’m not sure. I had that checked later and the ophthalmologist prescribed an eye drop for it and antihistamine. But I found out later it could have been something else. I don’t want to be stressed out.
A cousin, according to his wife, doesn’t watch the game live. Instead he waits for the replay and watches only if Ateneo wins.
Again, I hope the team wins, if only for the sake of Chris Tiu. He always says to pray and for him, I’ll do just that. The mom of Chris is Opus Dei.
UPDATE: Some hours after I posted the above, we went to Galleria and got these
from Krispy Kreme. SO as we watched the game between Ateneo and La Salle, we did this with style: we ate the Ateneo-colored donuts in front of the TV set. And Ateneo won! Chris was stopped early on by the referees who called fouls that rendered Chris “useless” and benched for a spell. But the team was up to winning and did. Congratulations, BLue eagles. Chris Tiu included. He remained a leader as he and Baclao calmed down a Maierhofer-infuriated Rabeh.
UPDATE: Before the game began the Ateneo players wore black shirts with the number 24 at the back. That’s supposedly to honor their mentor Norman Black who used that number when he played with the PBA.
Just wondering: did anyone get a copy of the Inquirer today? We weren’t able to, not even my sister who has it delivered on a daily basis was able to. They say maybe because Chris Tiu was in it and it was sold out? Someone, please enlighten?
ADDENDUM: A comment below shows disappointment (an understatement) at La Salle’s no-show in the awarding of trophies. Franz Pumaren is the comment’s main focus…. It’s quite a piece, one I’m tempted to post separately if the author allows me to.