Says DFA Sec Romulo: Filipinos with new passports get better treatment at ports

By Cynthia BalanaPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 19:18:00 05/30/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Filipinos who hold the new machine-readable passports are no longer segregated at airports or discriminated against globally, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said this started after the DFA began issuing the new passports and implementing the e-passport project.
Romulo assured the integrity, validity and security of the machine-readable passports being issued to Filipinos here and abroad. More than a million Filipinos have already received the new passports.
"As a result of the DFA's machine-readable passports, our kababayans (compatriots) now have greater travel security, confidence and convenience all over the world," he said, without making any reference to the number of Filipinos who still have the old passports.
Romulo said that all of the actions taken by the DFA to implement the shift to the new type of passports were consistent with the law and government rules regarding acquisition of equipment and services.
He said the new passports were produced in full accord with the Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A. 9184) and other relevant statutes and regulations, and are more secure, globally accepted and compliant with standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The DFA said that despite their enhanced security features, the machine-readable passports do not cost the public more than the old, manually scripted green passports.
The regular price for a machine-readable passport remains P500, the same as the old green passport.

Seryoso? Pray tell, Mr Romulo-- how does one use these new passports as official entry requirements to countries that require 'signed' travel documents, when the greatest guffaw of all this cheerleading is that you forgot to attach a page that shows the bearer's signature? Opo, walang signature page. Dyosko.

Hectic

The month of May--as I have always wanted it to be, has been very hectic.

1. Ive been to three countries. Oha, nde pa counted yung country na nag 'hover' lang yung aircraft na sinasakyan ko, before it made a 'u turn' back to where we departed (pang pelikula, i know!)--Sabah Malaysia yata yun.
2. I got to see two of my best girl friends from college (remind myself to make a writeup abou this soon, you procrastinating gumdrop).
3. I got to see a 'new' inaanak.
4. I got to celebrate my birthday with my family (will all the drama, I tell you!)
5. Lola gave me an interesting birthday gift. heh. (MUST post)
6. One of my birthday wishes came true--not that all these weren't good, its just that something of the 'material' category materialised (nosebleed, ang alliterations nagmumura). huwaw, bataw! i likeit! Salamat tin! Salamat fafa dyey!
7. ay potangena, yung 'trip to somewhere' pala under ng birthday wish list ko natupad din. that makes it two. not bad, not bad at all...
8. My cramming like crazy at work, which hey...does not feel bad at all.
9. I got to visit my mom. :)
10. I got to visit the virgin... Dely. (ahahhahahaha...natawa ako dito sa sinulat ko ever)
11. had my first glam shot taken (hey, its my birthday month)
12. and under my 'otherly' duties: a test pictorial in Holland Vee (post pics laters. heh)
13. I got to be in very different places-- the beach, the mountains, the Disneyland (ahaha), the Venetian...the Manila Memorial Park...the Peak...

Hay. I love it. Thank you Lord.

And its not even June.

And here are sam peeks!

Macau and HongKong 2008

by my n95.

(in no order whatsoever)

Ngong Ping 360, Lantau: I can see fear in Jay's eyes which he furiously denies. Im actually waiting for a voiceover: 'Due to some technical shit, please find the parachutes under your seats. As shitty as this may seem, you havent heard the part wherein we'll announce that parachutes are available on a first come first served....'

Miro Crame, the only legit psychoanalyst in my life is our HongKong tour guide and bell boy. We love him to death--we're launching 'donate a bath towel' campaign.

si Jay, naka surgical gloves. wahahaha...labyu.

the ever so-famous gondola ride at the Venetian and that ever so-famous faraway look everyone strikes a pose to. Hay, semi mid life crisis. :)

look ma, i got mickey slippers! and they're signed by stitch!

that day I bought Starbucks cafe mocha on top of a mountain, I also fancied taking the Po Lin Monastery (Lantau, HK) knee test: okay iha, galing ka ba sa baba? hindi dito yung shooting ni Mark Lapid eh.

My Blythe doll (who remains unnamed due to my inability to make up my mind) is more into this 'undertaker' look which frankly I think is better than Jay's (and the rest of the world's) 'faraway, glance to the horizon' graze.

ah yeah, birthday girl! (name me a person who manages to look good after running around Macau and HK for two days and I'll give you my other betlog. )

guess who dropped by to visit stitch and whatshisface (ehehe, peace Miro) in this scenic mountain scape of Lantau?

Ruins of St Paul, Macau: with Auntie Dely, who after 3 years of cloistered apartment life, finally decides to come out of her house in the evening. heh.

San Malo, Macau: For some reany I can't pinpoint, I call this my 'birthday' shot. (Ewan ko, but I like)

Inang

Pennie Azarcon Dela Cruz, Executive Editor of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine wrote this tidbit online entitled 'Our favorite cures: White flower'. To some it may sound silly, but hell yeah! Im bringing my white flower as well. Not only that--tagging along is my ever trusty mini-bottled rubbing alcohol. Call me a 'lola' all you want, but no glamorous kikay item can ever make me part with these two erm, 'medications' which I carry with me day in or out. A dab of this eucalyptus embrocation shakes off the queasiness, the itch, migraine --everything. Whenever I travel somewhere else and I feel discomfort, this 'lola in a bottle' makes sure I feel calm yet alert. Its like your 'blankie' in a bottle. Your anti homesickness remedy, the sure cure and relief (oh, rhyming). I even think of it as a self defense accesory: got someone harassing you? press your oil reeked fingers in his or her eye sockets... well, you get what I mean.

The rubbing alcohol on the other hand is the only thing that keeps me reassured whenever I use public toilets. You see, Im not a 'squatter' nor an 'hoverer' type of girl. I can't master the skill of doing number one with full accuracy, so I'd have to sit, or I miss. Or I dont let go (nuninuninu...). I cant sit on a dirty lid (and that, my friends, is why I dont like drinking water when I go out), so I clean it first. I wet tissues with water, wipe the whole thing clean--then I disinfect with alcohol. I do this all the time, so you can imagine my pregnant friends lining up in my cubicle after I use it. Its a fresh, clean bowl. I swear. (now you might be asking how I do it in highly nasty cases, when there's no water, no tissue and no toilet flush--WELL, I DONT). Aside from being a disinfectant, it can also save your life. and no--you cant use it to 'clean up' after number one. are you kidding?? get a wet tissue. maygulay...

uh-oh. this post suddenly is reminiscent of the song banyo queen. eew.

Over overdue.

Patawa 101:
You were almost done with a juicy blog entry when the object of your ‘kwento’ gives your phone a ring, in pronto. You almost jumped up from your seat, and with sweaty hands you try to make pleasant conversation. Afterwards, you’re just so paranoid, you decided not to post the juicy bit of story. Not now. Not yet.

thoughts on something else:
a couple of friends of mine, them probably fresh from school (not the undergrad type) gave me the shock on their retorting 'BAKET??' when I made an announcement on (hint hint) something Im supposed to blog about by end of this month (heh). i still love them all, but I cant help but feel funny, almost prompting me to ask back 'why not?' was i affected? a bit, I have to be honest. it was a mixture of feelings, and i had to grapple unto something im not even familiar with so it didn't help. disoriented was i at first, i began looking for answers (yeah, in a form of side trips, birthday celebrations overseas and long talks with people i hold dear). my quest on getting a clear grasp on how to explain 'this thing' has not yet ended, and probably it will never end. but then again i gained some new things along this search, let me share them with you: that the strong need not to be alone for them to called brave and be highly respected. strength, as it may seem, does come in 'numbers'-- at least in twos. peace and bliss to everyone I pray.

and here are some pictures. ah yeah.

papuntang manila. may 3 2008

i love chichay. porebers! (at libre ang hula)

Things to do:

1. finish dyowsa.com (by this month, demet)

2. (try to remember to) announce something extremely life changing (pakers)

3. buy Miro a pasalubong uniquely Singapore (like something chinese. heh)
4. explain to Claire why being NOT her ninang, you cant give her a PSP Slim

5. or a regular one

6. nor a DS Lite for that matter.

7. make sure Clarisse (you being HER NINANG) dont hear anything re this.

8. Try Yoga. Seriously.

9. Greet all May celebrants on their respective birthdates

10. ON TIME.

11. Think details.

12. and that special INN slash commercial complex venture. heh.

La Castaneda hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico (not Pampanga, anu bah)--the first Las Vegas, as they call it.