Passport renewal at DFA (Personal Experience)

Post by Maya D.

This link has very comprehensive details about applying and renewing Philippine passport:

 https://www.pinoymoneytalk.com/renew-apply-philippine-passport/

I also want to share my own experience when I renewed my passport:

01/14/2018 - I finally secured an appointment slot through the official website (https://www.passport.gov.ph/appointment)

I was able to get it after weeks of checking the site regularly even during midnight hours, that’s when a few dates opened up and I booked a slot right away.

Reserving an appointment online is free but I admit I was tempted to book through a travel agency instead because I was getting really frustrated and I was worried that I might not secure an appointment online. Luckily, I opted to be much more patient instead and it paid off!

*Checking the website after, I can see that it’s better to book anytime after 12pm. For some reason, there are slots during this time and usually there are none during afternoons and at night.

01/29/2018 - Passport day! My appointment is on 10am at DFA Manila - Aseana. I arrived at exactly 9:20am.

*It’s better to get there an hour before your scheduled time but not more than 2 hours because they’re not gonna let you in if you’re too early. When I arrived at the entrance, there was a guy in the other line and he was told by the guard to come back later since his appointment time is 1pm.

The guard at the entrance checked my printed application form (for appointment date and time) and a valid ID (I used my digitized postal ID). I was let in and told to sit at the waiting area, at the right side. There are chairs and 2 signs (one for 10am and the other for 11am). I sat at the area where the 10am sign was placed. I, along with other applicants, waited and a few minutes before 10am we were told to line up and we entered the building.

Next step is the verification process where officers are gonna check if you have a valid online appointment on that day. After, we lined up again and told to proceed to Door 1, which is at the back of the building. We went up the 2^nd floor where we sat again and waited for another verification process, this time it’s for the documents for passport application and renewal.

*There’s a separate verification area for OFWs.

My verification process took less than 5 minutes since I’m only renewing my passport. The officer didn’t even check my IDs or any of the supporting documents I brought (Police clearance, NBI clearance, NSO birth certificate and Transcript of Records)

*I brought a lot of supporting documents just in case.

*I also noticed that a few applicants (new passport) were turned down because they lacked necessary requirements (mostly a valid ID). They were advised to come back again after securing their requirements.

The officer only asked for my current passport. After checking he punched it to render it invalid and he also asked if I wanted my passport to be processed regular or expedited. I chose regular since I don’t need it right away.

Passport Fees: https://consular.dfa.gov.ph/passport-fees

I was given a piece of paper with my passport processing details and told to proceed to the Payment area next. I lined up, paid 950php and I was given the receipt. Next, I went to a table next to the Encoding area to get a number. I sat and waited for my turn which took about 20 minutes.

*There were a lot of applicants on that day, there were not enough chairs in the waiting area.

During the encoding process, my picture was taken so were my fingerprints and signature. And the officer had me checked my personal details to make sure everything was correct. The whole process took less than 5 minutes. Last step I did was to proceed to the Delivery area next to the Payment area so I could have my passport delivered.

*This is optional and you could just opt to pick up your passport in the DFA office once it’s available.

I chose to have it delivered since I went through the Releasing area before and saw a lot of people there and thought it was such a hassle and since the delivery fee is only 150php. I paid that amount and after checking that the officer inputted my contact details and address correctly, I was done!

The entire process took less than 2 hours and I was out of there before 12pm.

Review of Converge FiberX 1500 and Converge customer support

Post by Maya D.

It’s been 3 months since we had Converge internet installed in our home and so far so good:

Compare those results with our other internet connection:

Seriously, PLDT and Smart sucks!!!!

I have no problems with the internet connection. It’s pretty consistent although I do experience downtime but it’s rare and I like that Converge send texts whenever there’s connection issues.

But my main problem with them is their ebilling system.

12/05/17 - I received a text informing me that I can now register my account in their ebilling website where I can see my statement of account.

*The same day I received a text informing me that they have an ongoing website maintenance.

There are step by step instructions on how to register and it was easy although I encountered some problems because I didn’t receive any confirmation via email so I had to register again. I did this for 2 more times.

I was finally able to register and I linked my Converge account through the ebilling site and waited until it was approved. It took only a few days.

12/26/17 - The next problem I encountered was that another account was registered in my ebilling profile. I sent an inquiry about it through the ebilling site and also through email.

*Until now, the other account is still registered in my ebilling profile. It’s fine although I can see the account’s name, whole address and contact number. (Privacy issue!)

01/10/18 - I called their hotline to inquire about my billing statement because I have not yet received any through the ebilling site until this day when I checked my profile and saw that my current bill is 4,700php. (!!!!)

After a long wait, I finally got in touch with a CSR and was told that I should contact their billing department directly. He gave me the number, I called it and after a few minutes of waiting, I informed the CSR about my billing issue.

She informed me that instead of 4,700php the actual amount I had to pay was 4,200php.

1,200php - November (pro-rated)

1,500php - December

1,500php - January

I had her send the revised statement of account through email which I received on 01/15/2018. She also explained that because of an issue (system maintenance) with their ebilling site, they weren’t able to send my SOA for November and December.

02/05/2018 - I received a text that my SOA for February is already available on my profile. It seems like they have no more system issues.

Overall, my experience with their ebilling was such as hassle but their call center agents were very helpful. Plus, their fiber internet is stable and it’s reliable so no complaints here.

Converge application process

Post by Maya D.

Our current internet connection sucks (PLDT!) so when I found out that Converge was available in our area, I signed up right away.

10/23/17 - I called Converge’s hotline number to inquire about their plans. (I also contacted them via Facebook but it took them days to reply back).

I chose their cheapest fiber plan - FIBERX 1500 (speed up to 25 mbps and no data cap)

10/24/17 - The CSR sent me the application form and other requirements via email.

10/26/17 - I submitted the requirements. (Instead of just one, I sent in 2 government ID just in case)

10/28/17 - I received an email that my application will be validated within 2-3 days.

10/31/17 - My requirements and documents are validated and the next step is the initial payment for the installation.

*I was exchanging emails using my 2^nd gmail account but I received the validation email in my 1^st gmail account so I kept sending them emails to ask about an update on my application. I also called their hotline again.

11/2/17 - They sent the validation email on my 2^nd gmail account. It contains the necessary payment information.

11/3/17 - I paid the initial amount of 4,000php.

11/6/17 - After 3 days, installation complete! The whole process took less than an hour.