connections and government disappointments

I went to get my voter's ID this afternoon. Not one to pull rank, name drop, or use connections, something inside me pushed me to insist that I should look for my mom's contact in the city hall. I, for one, don't like using connections. I refuse to get ahead of line because i know how it feels when someone gets ahead of me in line. I know how it feels when i have to wait longer to be served because a VIP stepped in and took away precious minutes from my day. Sad to say, i was a sell-out today. I let myself be corrupted by the system.

I got to the city hall and was surprised (more disappointed than surprised, really) at how disorganized everything was. I was also frustrated at how slow the pace was. I already jumped the line, but before being able to do that, i learned that some people were there since morning. I got there at around 2:30pm and was able to leave by 3pm for a process that would've taken all but 15 minutes tops.

Some things i noticed about the filipinos and government employees:

1. they are mostly uneducated. if they are, they don't show it

2. these people don't know how to give directions. the idea they wish to convey with their brains somehow lose their way before reaching the mouth. The conversation went something like this...

           me: "Sa'n po ako pupunta"
           her: "Pasok ka sa pinto sa kanan"
           (there were six doors on the right)
           me: "alin po? yung sa dulo?"
           her: "yung sa kanan doon"
           me: (with a quizzical look on my face) "???"
           she finally relents by sorta herding me towards the door, then she leaves me
           without any directions whatsoever.

3. you can really dress a monkey in haute couture but still end up with a monkey. A monkey with a labgown and glasses doesn't become a genius

4. politics, money, and connections really get you places in this country.

5. Filipinos are generally crammers. they will only respond to a call for registration if it's the last minute already. When they miss the deadline, they will protest and say they didn't get enough time to prepare for the registration

6. government offices should hire event coordinators or consultants to facilitate better processing of lines and people. benches were not even provided for people who were lining up to wait.

incoherent postings... oh, well... will try to organize my thoughts more next time.