ONGOING ORDEAL

Patients waiting their turn for consultation

I love my job as a Mabuhay Guide... don't get me wrong! There's just one drawback: the yearly accreditation renewal. I wish they had a better way of doing it for deserving guides. It's just a hassle to have to do it every year. I started getting things ready in May so I can get the accreditation renewal by the time June rolls in. I went to do the necessary medical exams, the police clearance. etc. As soon as I got my medical results, i headed off to the Manila City Hall to get my Health Permit and my Work Permit. Guess what? They no longer accept medical results issued by your personal doctor. All results have to be from the required Manila Health Offices. I thought just any health office in Manila could handle it so I went to the Ospital ng Maynila at the corner of Roxas boulevard and Quirino street. I came in the afternoon with the necessary papers in a folder only to be told to return the following day as the consultations end at noon. The next day i came at nine a.m. and had to contend with a sea of patients that needed more medical attention than myself. I patiently waited and when my turn came up, there was this nice intrern from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila who gave the requisite tests. Finally, by the time the tests were concluded, it was noon. Then I went back to Manila City Hall to file an application for my health permit.

Residents at Ospital ng Maynila helping the needy

The process is excruciatingly lengthy. One needs to fill up a form for the work permit, line up and submit to the desk after paying the necessary fees, go to the health desk section and get a clean bill of health prior to the work permit being released. Sounds easy? Noooo! There are a million job seekers in Manila! Lucky that I am not a food server so I don't have to submit stool samples. but you guessed it, I needed a drug test and sputum sample which I can only get from Quiricada street Manila Health Services. There was virtually noone there when I got in after lunch, only to be informed that tests were conducted from 8-12 and 1-2 Mondays to Thursday and half day on Fridays. The drug testing exam facility was three blocks away, actually. So I did that first, just so I didn't waste any time going there on a Friday afternoon. So I went the following Monday to get my sputum test done. Paid my fees (nothing is free in Manila's health services anymore), and was told to come back in three days. After which I filed it back in City Hall Health services division which also accepts only in the morning. In between tours I would flit in and out of City Hall to get things done. When I finally got both the health permit and the work permit from City Hall, I had to drop by the Committee on Tourism office in Manila. I was told to call first before I get the certificates and all. and when I came back, the OIC was on leave. Until today I have yet to get my guiding certificate from the Manila City Hall. Needless to say, between the commute to the dingy health offices and hospitals and the waiting amongst a sea of hungry job applicants, I had to get in line with everyone else. I had no problem. I was able to eat something...

Patients waiting at the Ospital ng Maynila

Then I went to the accreditation division of the Department of Tourism. It was noble of them to go paperless. However, their service providers need to be told that not everyone has scanners and fast internet service. Tour guides normally are not techno geeks. I could not access my account on the DOT website simply because I had to change my email address and could not recall my previous password. Ergo, my email is inactive. I had to write an appeal for a change of email address which will be sent to their service provider and acted upon so I can be informed, through email that the settings on my DOT account were now accessible. It has been two weeks... My accreditation is done every June of every year. It is now nearly the end of August. So by the time anyone has read this post, I have been working on my renewal for four months. What is wrong with our government offices?