DFA PASSPORT APPOINTMENT: No Vacant Slot Until the end of March 2018

Bad news for those who needs to have a passport or have their passport renewed. All branches of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), yes all 27, have already filled up all the slots in their appointment system until the end of March. If for some reason you were not able to set an appointment last month December, you will need to wait until April to be able to process a passport.

The Problem with the Current Appointment System

The online appointment system implemented by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is surely a big help in convenience. Prior to this, passport applicants line up in DFA offices as early as in the wee hours of 12 midnight. By six in the morning, a DFA personnel, usually a security guard, will distribute priority numbers. The process will go smoothly from then on. Once you started the first step and as long as you have all the requirements complete, you'll finish in about 15 minutes. A few weeks later, you'll have your passport.

The same is true today, the process is still that fast. But the inconvenient part has been removed. No more sleeping in the line in the wee hours. But as you can see from the above report, your chances of getting a passport is severely limited. Just a week after Cebu DFA opened up the appointment slots, all slots were already taken.

But there's one troubling report. On average, there's 40% no-show in these appointments. That's huge! And the part of the reason is the free appointment policy. Basically you can set an appointment and decide not to go. There's no responsibility to show up.

The DFA, under the leadership of Secretary Allan Peter Cayetano plans to change that. Last month, he announced that this year they will require people to pay ahead their passport processing fee. This way, people will be more diligent regarding their appointments. And sure enough, this will allow more people to be accommodated.

[Related: Passport applicants to pay fees in advance]

SCAM: My First Scam Text This Year; 850000 Pesos from GMA Kapuso Foundation

It's a brand new year for everyone, including local scammers. And despite all the efforts by PLDT and Globe Telecom to curb text message scammers, from time to time, they still creep out and show up in our inboxes. And as hard to believe as the messages of winning some great amounts of money is the fact that there are still people who believe them. I personally know someone and that scam text message triggered events that turn her life upside down. So my point is, we still need to be careful regarding these scam messages. The danger is real! So without further ado, here's the scam message I received a few days ago. On Sunday, January 7, 2018 at exactly 3:33PM (PH time), I received this message from a certain Atty. Jhon Acosta with phone number 09552962911 Congratulations! Ursim# Hadwon PHP850,000 From(GMA KAPUSO FOUNDATION) To Claim Send Ur (NAME/ADD/AGE) &Call Me Now Im Atty;JHON ACOSTA DTI#0391s2018 Thankyou, Do Not Ever Reply Obviously, this is a

4 Steps to Replace Stolen or Lost Passbook

My passbook (inside my bag) was recently stolen inside a local grocery store, and I would like to share the steps I took to secure my account and get a new passbook. By User:Aerous ", CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link The steps outlined here are for a BPI savings account, but generally, the procedure will be very similar to other banks in the Philippines. 1. Call the Bank to Secure Your Account The first and most crucial step you need to do immediately is to contact your bank by phone or personally report it to the branch where you opened the account. This action will ensure that funds will stay put. The bank will lock the account immediately. The big banks have 24/7 hotlines. For BPI, it's 889-100. You have to do this step ASAP after discovering the loss. 2. Go to the Branch to Ask for a Replacement of the Passbook It can mean a simple replacement of the lost passbook, but it can also mean closing the entire account and opening a new one for security purposes. 3. Get an Affidav

How Much Does a MRI Scan Costs in the Philippines?

My dad needs a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan for his prostate problem. I did a little research on how much does it cost to have one. Well, it depends on many factors, such as which body part is to be scanned. There's also this technique called "MRI with contrast," wherein the patient will be injected with a chemical to make the scan clearer. For your information, this technique of adding contrast is known as Gadolinium Contrast Medium . It adds cost to the procedure, but with more clarity, the more you can trust the diagnosis. MRI Machine KasugaHuang , CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link So, in my father's case, we had a Prostate MRI, and I assume it was without contrast since he was never injected with the "contrast" chemicals. We got it in i-Scan Healthcare Inc. here in Quezon City. The cost is 13000 Pesos . Please take note that the amount was just for the scan, and a separate professional will read the result. Some laboratories offer this service (i.e

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