a relative world

When I was complaining about the processing of my Dual Citizenship here, a lot of people asked me why I still want to be a Filipino Citizen when I already have the French. This surprised me a bit but it never entered my mind not to be a Filipino on paper. It was only when the Philippines passed the Citizen Retention & Re-acquisition Act of 2003, or RA 9925, that I applied for the French nationality. A country recognizing Dual Citizenship is a great privilege because there are only a few countries (website not updated) who do. Left, my Certificate of Oath of Allegiance & new Philippine passport after acquiring Dual Citizenship

But my complaining was abruptly stalled & I had a chance to do it in Manila. Apparently, with all the red tape & corruption I experienced, and simply the hassle of doing paperwork in the Philippines, I have to admit that the Philippine Embassy in Paris has improved by leaps & bounds in the paperwork department. Although I didn't inquire directly for the procedure in Manila, a friend informed me that she had to hire a lawyer & the processing will be at least 6 months. This turned me off & I have to be actually grateful I had an easier option here in France.

And so finally I was able to file my application in Paris & off we went for our oathtaking. On May 23, 2008, Hazel & I went together to be a Filipino on paper. Although I thought that it was unnecessary, reciting my Oath of Allegiance to my motherland was quite moving, in front of the Philippine flag, a portrait of GMA & all. Below, Oath taking with Hazel & with Consul Rosalita S. Prospero

Today, I just received my new Philippine passport *yay!* I still have the old, non-machine readable since the embassy is finishing their stock of old passports. Which is not bad because it is more than a passport to me. It's my proof of citizenship. And besides, I still get to smile & be beautiful in a passport photo. The guy in the photo shop couldn't believe that I can smile for a passport picture. So the trouble a smile can bring is yet to be discovered.

Another issue was when a Filipino friend with an Italian citizenship asked me how I ever lost my Philippine Nationality. Since the Philippines didn't recognize Dual Citizenship until 2003, Filipinos who acquired another nationality automatically lose their Filipino citizenship. It is here that we retain or re-acquire it. The procedure is relatively new & it will improve with more years. Hopefully in a few years, the RA 9225 won't be necessary at all. That we won't automatically lose our Filipino Citizenship. We are still fortunate to have an embassy with more experience on this.

The procedure is actually easy. As long as you have your official documents with you & you don't need to have it sent from Manila, it'll be a breeze. You can call the Philippine Embassy in your area & request for an RA 9225 Application Form which is sent by mail. Requirements are normally the following:

passport size photos, any proof of Philippine Citizenship (birth certificate, old passport, voter's ID, marriage certificate indicating Philippine Citizenship), foreign passport, certificate of naturalization & its official translation, proof of payment, marriage or report of marriage if married, oath of allegiance

Remember to only submit photocopies. The embassy might request original copies to be sent. If so, you will then be asked to write a letter to the Consul why you cannot send the originals. I know such a waste of time. You will be then given an appointment for your oath taking & voila! As usual, you will always need to follow up.

The Dual Citizenship is not for everybody, so grab it if you can.
For me, being a pinoy by heart is not enough until you are on paper.

If there's one island more enchanting than the rest of the Philippines, it would be Palawan. It's like a distant paradise seemingly inaccessible but promises little corners of bliss. The Visayas area has been a more popular destination for local tourists because at first glance, Palawan is known for its luxurious islands off the mainland of El Nido. But it's a 650km tip to tip stretch, has the western & eastern side of the sea making it nature at its best. The only thing about that is it makes travelling inside the island an adventure. At very little time, we were only able to map out two towns on the western side of the archipelago: Port Barton & Sabang. The beach in the Underground River, Sabang

Being first timers of Palawan, it's hard to choose a destination while taking to consideration your transportation & your holiday mode. The island is still developing by land. There's only one main highway that stretches from south to north. Plus, we noticed how costly it is to travel around. Accomodations are surprisingly good at affordable rates. Power is also in progress. Most places do not have electricity & generators work on schedule, normally from 6am to 10am & at 6pm to 12mn.
Like any other capital, Puerto Princesa is a busy little town with so much to do. Although it has only

been our jump in & off to other locations, we're sure to be back to visit so many places in the area. What I really liked here is the cost of a tricycle ride. Anywhere to & from the busy part of Rizal Avenue will be 7 or 8php per person when taking it from the terminal, regardless you're alone or not. One driver almost had us but thanks to other honest drivers, we learned fast. We stayed a night at Puerto Pension before heading to Port Barton. Right, islands off Port Baton, children fishing for the day's lunch

Port Barton is about 150km from Puerto Princesa. There is only one bus who can bring you there: Jerry Boy. It leaves San Jose Terminal at 10am every other day & if everything goes well, arrives Port Barton at around 3pm. At 11.30, we stopped over a small canteen in Binduyan for lunch & met a Marseillais through my husband's tabac roulé (loose tabacco, diy rolling), and owner of Hibiscus Garden Inn Resort in Puerto Princesa. Lunch was a 30-45 minute stop & we continued our winding roadtrip to the north. 3 hours to the trip, it started raining hard as we exited the main road to a rough road literally with big stones. In just a couple of meters, we had to stop & the driver turned off the engine. Apparently, there was a jeepney who needed help in carrying its engine, which happen to fall off in the middle of the road. But this was not only the commotion. Below: Jerry Boy & the road to Port Barton on a rainy day, a truck already stuck

The rain had made the dirt road into sticky mud. All passengers had to go down & walk through the mud & of all the passengers, I was the most muddy making me more of a tourist than the lone French in the bus. A bit pissed off, I happily washed off in the rice paddies while my husband enjoys this spontaneous event. There were more patches of soft mud on the road but Jerry Boy, despite of sludge & close cliffs on the road, is the only way to Port Barton. This advenutre ride is worth 200php per head. All worth every cent.

We arrived Ysabelle Resort, former Swissippini Lodge & Resort, at past 5pm. Port Barton mainland is a laid back beach, a little jewel after the roadtrip to reach it. With a lot of its surrounding islands, it is known for diving. Doris is the only dive shop in Port Barton. You can never miss Easy Dive (rates on website have changed, credit cards are not accepted). With the diving boat, we were offered to take an island tour. In one of the islands, you will find Blue Cove Resort, a charming paradise with fine white sand & clear waters. They also have a trail to the top of the island for an overview of Port Barton's surrounding islands. Be sure to bring some cash when you go on island hopping because you might discover good bars & restaurants like Blue Cove. The French couple we met in Blue Cove told us that it was the show Koh-lanta (the French Survivor reality show, this year they are again in the Philippines, Camaroan) that made them visit Palawan. It was more than they expected. Left, Port Barton Beach, below, Blue Cove Beach & the resort's bar & restaurant view from the sea

There are two ways to leave Port Barton to Sabang. By boat or by a hired van. Both costs 3000php minimum but negociable. The only problem with the boat is that you have to leave really early & with the hired van, it has to be arranged. There is a boat that comes from Sabang on a regular basis. If you can get the schedule, this would cost less than 500php a head. It's the same with the van. If you find other people with the same destination, you share the cost of the van. With a problem with communication, we were obliged to take the van (actually a Hillux pickup) at 3000php to Sabang. We tried to negociate & all we got was free entrance to the Underground river. It was a 4 hour fast & bumpy ride.

Sabang is home to the Underground River. It is one of the most visited places in Palawan. The tour is organized from the boat ride at 250php to the entrance of 150php per head. If you're adventurous & have great endurance, you can reach the Underground River through the Monkey Trail (or Jungle Trail), a 2 hour trek in the jungle according to the Dutch tourists we met. You can see wild monkeys on the way too. I liked the tour on the Underground River especially our banca chauffer who cracked more jokes than information on the cave. The tour is about 45 minutes. Underground River entrance

Although the beach in sabang is not totally white sands, it is still nice to see a long stretch of beach. The water is great plus our resort is the best we stayed in in Palawan. I would rate Daluyon Resort a 5 star resort thus we had to stretch a bit more for the accomodation budget. After the travelling we did, Sabang was a relaxing spot. We enjoyed the food & drinks on our room's balcony as we prepare to get back to reality. Below, view of the resort from the beach & our room

Palawan has so much paradise to share that needs plenty of time to experience. Because it is relatively a big island, it is hard to choose a destination. You can only do 2 to 3 destinations in one visit to be able to appreciate every place. Our next stop would be in down South on the eastern side & El Nido. This time, I won't forget to bring a spray for bed bugs. My polka dot skin was one of my souvenirs of Palawan. The Philippines truly still boasts of paradise. Can't wait to go back. Below, the view from our room in Sabang & our ride to the Sabang terminal

Please let me know if anyone can share us more info on lands for sale in Palawan. Thanks!

There are a thousands things I miss about the Philippines. The two times I've been there it's like I've never left and that is what home makes us feel. And if home is the Philippines, no matter how much you have always craved for everything that is you, there are things that you just cannot stand anymore once you've tasted & been on the other side.

Traffic & driving in Manila. That's right, what's new? This is the national stamp of the country but when traffic has gotten a little bit better even with the humungous cars, it's the discipline & character of the drivers that made me crazy. When my mom & the driver was hit by another car from behind, the guy had the guts to ask them for 5Kphp when they saw it was an old car, a badly coiffed driver & an old lady. He even death threatened our driver. Don't care about morality, my car is more expensive & you look stupid. In the end, the guy hit & ran our driver when they were supposed to meet in the police station. Then there's the constant "I go first" attitude & nobody just wants to give way. The few times we went to Makati, we were stopped by the police twice on issues of vague rules by the stoplight eg. was there a sign on making a turn on red. And I have almost forgotten how busy the roads are in Manila. In one main road, you can have taxis, jeepneys, buses, people crossing, bicycles on the left lane, pedicabs in the middle lane, motorcycles & scooters, all at the same time, all the possibilities that can happen. And everytime I point out this madness, they always remind me how I handled it before, with craziness as well but I've outgrown this craziness due to lack of practice.

Philippine Government Agencies: BIR - if you can't beat them, join them. You will never understand what it means to go through them until you've experienced it. Driving licenses, cedulas & the like does not count. We always find someone to do the biggies for us when it comes to the tough guys of BIR. I was left alone with my mom to do one of those biggies, the form 1801.

For those who had to do the Estate Tax, fear is always the first reaction to it. We know it means big money especially for us common people who has a small piece of land, for privileged people with many pieces of land exactly know what it means, big lawyers & accountants. But our hired humble accountant seemed promising to help us go about the process with the City Hall & BIR. One dry afternoon, we met her City Hall contact who was in charge of the Tax Declaration. This means the land's zonal value & improvements, apparently a very important part of the process. He then informed us, with a voice almost to a whisper while scanning quickly his surroundings, that the paperwork which will normally amount to 150-170Kphp will cost us 70Kphp. Awe was my first reaction but I thought it was reasonable even without a hint of how much the true amount is. We just want to get it over & done with. We just need to talk it over with the rest of the family then I sincerely thanked him for his help.

After one dinner & a night's sleep, the decision was to go for it. The accountant went her way to start the said paperwork. Like a reeking fish, she came back telling us that her contact raised the amount to 120Kphp. So she took it in her own hands & went straight to BIR coming back with the final amount of 90Kphp. Not only that they were all robbing us blind, they had the audacity to negociate our ignorance & situation. We don't even know who was the most corrupt, the City Hall contact, the BIR or our accountant. This caused a dispute among us & my mom insisted of gathering information among her widowed friends. I felt so bad in thanking these sharks.

One mahjong afternoon at her friend's, she was able to collect considerable news & a valuable lesson. Her friend gave us a copy of her form 1801, showed us how to compute & tipped us on the important estate tax table at the back of the form.

In the end, our taxable amount totaled to a negative making us exempted from paying anything at all! Pointing this to our accountant, she tried to debate & convince us of wrong computation & that in the end, it's her first time handling a biggie like the form 1801. My proud mom had the courage now to go to the BIR, kicking out our accountant, to file our Estate Tax by ourselves.

Arriving at the BIR, there were so little signs except for where things are. I was getting too impatient & embarassed of actually being there without a clue on where to start. The best way is to inquire at the information desk without giving out too much of our file just yet. There is something about the BIR that you just cannot really trust. Fortunately, our file was almost ready except for other documents I don't even know when the lady started asking me more about our background. It made me & my mom realize that we cannot make this clean as much as we want to. There will always be something & we'll end up paying people to make things easier for us. In the end, we rehired our accountant for 20Kphp to go through all the hassle. The valuable lesson is you can never be lily white when it comes to Philippine governement agencies. Corruption is at every level. As we speak, our paperwork is still not yet finished. I've never seen corruption so raw, taking advantage face to face without shame & that went up to 120Kphp. Afterall, the BIR & the Customs are the most corrupt department in the Philippines & it will take many generations to disinfect them.

These & among other things make the Philippines. People see it in their own eyes & complain everyday but nothing is done. People live by it because it's as if there's no other choice to be what it is. Yes, what can we do? That is the spice of the country among the beautiful islands that is home.

If there's one thing that would let you know you've reached France, it would be the silence & the calm. No more busy streets of people & street vendors. No more crazy jeepneys & buses in traffic. No more blazing lights after 10pm. The silence was almost defeaning but at the same time soothing after 4 months of being in a country that is so alive.

Although the first 2 months was a tug-o-war between grieving & the guilt of being on holiday, I savored all that I can of home. I made sure that I ate everything I craved for. Shopped to my heart's content even if I didn't have the courage to brave Greenhills. I spent some time on the beach & drank all the cocktails I want. I tried being with old friends like old times. I spent as much time with my mom & had a sweet reunion with my frenchfry. 4 months or any other length of time wouldn't be enough. When you've gone over the holiday mode & begin to find that space you built almost half of your lifetime, as cliché as it is, nothing do feels like home.

But the silence reverberates in our apartment & you kind of get used to the hopelessness of it when you're in Manila. At 6am, there is already life at my parent's house. The movements other than your own was comforting. Especially during a time of sorrow. It was nearly hard to feel alone & we were grateful for that. But as we move on & life continues, mourning is a very long process. At times you don't even know what to make of it. As if a part of you died. Time is always the answer for everything & patience is like a skill you have to acquire.

As strange as it may sound, the noise, the verve, of the Philippines is what I immediately miss. There was always something to do, somewhere to go & something to eat. As if time never existed. I had a second look at my country & inspite of all the chaos & the craziness, I still definitely would want to live there. There is something about things in contradiction in everyday life. One thing I didn't do is to take as many pictures of what this exactly means.

It has been 2 weeks we came back to France. For now, I'm in the mercy of time, waiting for it to take me to places.

I already have forgotten how frustrating it is to deal with any Philippine government agency. Not that I had tormenting experiences with them before in fact a lot of my encounters would even be considered almost delightful, almost a miracle. Although I know the Philippine "culture" on paperworks, I have always practiced the "doing it right" when it comes to applications & procedures because I have forever believed that when you do things right, everything will be okay.

But here I am, 14 thousand kilometers away & tens of French paperworks after, the frustration came creeping back but not because there's a long line to queue or because we're bothered about the bored & disturbed employees who can't smile behind the glass window radiating a silent power among us. It's because of the incompetence & the incomprehensible system that makes you wonder why is it sometimes so freaking impossible to have a smooth processing with our government agencies. Voila, the Philippine Embassy of Paris, bow.

After the long process of gathering my Philippine documents & acquiring my French nationality, I was ready to file my Philippine Citizenship & Re-asquisition Act of 2003, or RA 9225. I thought it would be a breeze. I thought being Filipino again in paper is easy for a Filipino by blood & birth. I normally don't overreact but I can hear you saying, "only in da Philippines," or "what do you want the Philippine nationality for?!"

Just after receiving my French nationality last July, I requested right away the RA 9225 Application Form No. 1. I was told that it is a week processing.
Three months after receiving my French passport & having my Certificate of Naturalization translated, all photocopies of required documents are neatly filed & organized in order in a big white envelope. It arrived Paris after 3 to 4 working days.
On the 5th day, I called them to confirm reception of my file, asked when I can follow up to know our oath taking schedule. She asked me some questions regarding my documents then I was told to call after 4 days.
On the 4th day, I diligently called to have some good news, after all, it will almost be a week. After having my file 5 days in hand, I was informed that my application form is the old one & that they will need to send me the new one. Fortunately, first for calling them back & they mailed it right away & I received it the following monday, filled it up & sent it back without delay.
On the same week, they confirmed receipt of my application form & I didn't hear anything from them for 2 weeks.
Last friday, after a month, which is supposedly a week processing, I receive news that to continue the evaluation of my file, I have to send all original copies of documents submitted by mail.
Yesterday, I called the Embassy to assure that the original documents I need to send are my birth certifcate from NSO & my Philippine passport. They matter of factly told me they won't need the French passport but just the original copy of our French Certificate of Naturalization & continued saying that I cannot have an Oath Taking schedule without this. I was actually assured of how ridiculous & clueless on their part to ask for this one valuable document. The French Tribunal handed us only one original copy with a "guard it with your life" advice. Even after saying that repeatedly & mentioning the checklist found on the Bureau of Immigration official website that only a photocopy of foreign documents are required, my plea fell on deaf ears, without a justifiable reason for this ridiculous demand. On top of that, we were asked to actually explain to the Consul why we cannot send our original Certificate of Naturalization by mail adding, "we're not keeping it naman, we'll give it back to you."

Selective files, mood swings, or the holidays, the reason is dependent on your lucky star. Or finally having more competent people to actually work effectively for the citizens: seriously examining your file & documents for errors or problems & not to give it to you on a weekly installment, strictly following the delay of processing, and original documents normally comes only with the presence of the holder. How much more can you prove the authenticity of your valid & legal documents?

I just want to be Filipino again in paper. Applying for my French nationality was way much easier because the French governement is precise on their procedures. I'll be going back to the Philippines in 2 months. I am torn between trusting the Embassy or processing it in Manila when I get home. Please do bestow priceless information on processing the RA 9225 in the Philippines.

But what really ticked me off is that I had to have my left & right sideviews picture taken for nothing.

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