Aquino’s media handlers are trying to milk the pathetic four million visitor arrivals in 2012 to the max. However, no one’s buying that bull because of the obvious fact that neighboring countries Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam had more visitors many times over.
How can the Philippines get more visitor arrivals when they not only treat foreign guests like dung – but treat their very own citizens like dung as well. C’mon now – what chance of excellent treatment will guests get really when you can’t even treat your own in a decent manner.
Foreign visitors are given a run for their money when visiting the Philippines – hospitality my arse
Foreign nationals who are traveling to the Philippines for business and tourism purposes are allowed to enter the Philippines without visas for a stay not exceeding twenty-one (21) days, provided they hold valid tickets for their return journey to port of origin or next port of destination and their passports are valid for a period of at least six (6) months beyond the period of stay. All tourists wishing to stay longer than 21 days need a visa. Single entry visas are good for 59 days (2 months) from date of issue.
Frankly, 3 weeks in the Philippines is just enough for a foreign visitor to realize that they made a big mistake in coming to the Philippines. You can only take so much of the horrors of going through the stinking airports, the extortionist taxicab drivers, the congested roads, the polluted rivers, the prostitute-laden bars, the beggar-filled streets, the unsanitary restaurants, the groping by mall security guards, the 12% VAT, the snail-paced bureaucracy – and that’s if you don’t get abducted by a kidnap for ransom gang or that’s in cahoot with either the cops or the military – or worse, snatched by commies.
And if you think foreign guests have it bad – Filipino nationals get a far worse treatment.
The Passport Application Time Warp
Filipinos are know for a lackadaisical attitude towards meeting deadlines. And if they do decide to set deadlines, the waiting time is unbelievably long because Filipinos take their time to gossip and linger along, with work squeezed in between. This attitude is most exemplified in the renewal of Philippine passports.
It used to be that getting Philippine passports was such a breeze – give it 5 to six days max – and in some instances, just overnight.
I still recall when I would show up in the DFA office with my paperwork and get my passport the following day. I also still recall when overseas, I can just mail my passport to the DFA and have it renewed. Today, whether you are in the Philippines or overseas, getting a passport is such a pain in the neck.
If you are in the Philippines right now, it will take 3 weeks for a passport to be issued. Though recently it can take longer because the BSP has run out of paper on which to print passports. For crying out loud, the BSP collects billions of dollars from OFW remittances and it can’t even get the supply of passport paper right.
The Philippines lent $1B to the EU but can’t afford a $1M passport making machine for its embassy in the US?
If you are outside the Philippines, particularly if in the US, it will take 6 to 8 weeks for a passport to be issued. Not only that – if you are not in a state close to the Philippine embassy, you will have to take time off of work and take a plane to make a personal appearance at the embassy. The $60 passport renewal fee isn’t much – but the plane ticket will cost you more than $200 – then there’s the time off from work, easily another $200 worth of time taken from your paid time off (PTO) – which brings it up to roughly $500 after adding meals and gas to and from the airport.
As a Filipino national and expat, how in the world can I be motivated to visit the Philippines when the mere act of getting a passport is already an absolute pain in the neck?
Misplaced Priorities
According to the Philippine embassy, it takes 6 to 8 weeks because the passport has to be sent back to the Philippines where the passport making machine is situated. The Fil-am community has asked why isn’t there a passport making machine in the Philippine embassy in Washington DC. The answer has been that the machine is expensive and costs a million bucks.
A total of US$17.348 Billion were remitted by OFW’s all over the world in 2009; those from the U.S. remitted US$7.323 Billion. The Philippine government can lend $1B to the EU but it can’t afford to purchase a $1M passport making machine for OFWs?
Talk about misplaced priorities. What else is new?
OT: February is just around the corner
Sooner or later, something’s gotta give. Seriously, the Philippines needs an honest-to-goodness revolution that will serve as a reset button and sweeps this plundering thugs masquerading as lawmakers. Filipinos are better off with less government – one that limits the size of government, keeps markets open so that consumers have freedom of choice, keeps taxes low and spends public money only for the purpose of protecting individuals from criminals and foreign threats and a justice system for a non-violent resolution of disputes.
With the anniversary of the faux EDSA revolution coming soon, now will be a good time as any to expose the fraud and work towards a successful completion of the hijacked 1896 Philippine Revolution – and get a Philippine version of the Polish shock therapy off the ground.
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