Expired Philippine Passport

Today, the Philippine government is now capable of processing transactions online for the convenience of Filipino citizens(Lord knows how long the lines get on these government offices) at an additional charge of course. Like for example, if you have an expired Philippine passport and would like to renew it online you can apply for a renewal at http://www.passport.com.ph/. The process goes like this: You apply for a renewal, then the courier will go to your house to pick up your requirements and they will give you your new passport after a few days. This online application will cost you Php1300.00 all in. Not bad at least you got away with the hassle of standing in line. We have done this for our grandmother and so far their service was good. The courier responsible for our past transaction is 2GO. Too bad they do not process your lost and expired passport because your personal appearance at the DFA is needed to renew your lost passport. In my case I lost my expired passport. I do not have anything to do so I went to the DFA Pasay last month. I rode the LRT(Yellow line) and got off at Libertad station, they are two ways to get to DFA from that station one is to ride a tricycle(Php10.00 per person - they will get you there exactly) or to ride a jeep(Php7.50 - still have to walk a little a bit more from 7-11 across Chowking). Beware of the people pretending to be DFA personnels, they are scattered in front of the shops before you make a right turn to the DFA . I was a victim of their tactics, I was about to make a right turn to the DFA and a man(he even wears an ID so I was tricked) asked what type was my application(e.g. new, renewal) and instructed me to go there(one of the said shops) because they're from the DFA and they will help me process my application. I presented my passport pictures for them to attach to a passport application form, they said the size of the picture was incorrect and that I need to take a rush photo with them to have a correct passport picture size(ugh Php175.00). They made photocopies of my supporting documents as they said is needed for the application, which was true but they made a lot of unnecessary copies. The attaching of your pictures even costs Php2-Php5. When I was finished with them, they told me to pass the form inside the DFA. I compared my previous passport pictures with my new one and they're the same size, I believed them because they insisted that it's not the right size. I was fooled, shame on me. Only then I knew I was fooled when I got to the DFA Basketball court, this is where they verify your application. You will undergo three verfications wherein they stamp and sign your forms. Because inside the DFA Basketball court all of your needs for your passport application is there... application forms, notary public, rush id photo and the rest and the people there do not force you to do anything it's all up to you to ask for their service. Since I lost my passport, I do not know my passport number. Don't worry in the verification process they will provide you your previous passport number, date of issue and expiry, and place of issue. After the basketball court you'll go across it and go in the DFA building. The line for the lost passports is not that long compared to the line of the new applicants. You place your application form upside down on the middle of their counter and they'll just call you when it's your turn. As long as you have the necessary IDs and supporting documents, that won't be a problem. In my case I don't have any IDs that will satisfy them, I thought a student permit/license will suffice and I don't have any valid IDs with me like SSS or my latest school ID(I forgot it), my new E-1 form was not even valid. If you don't have any IDs with a picture on it they will look for your baptismal certificate and I don't have it. I went back home disappointed. I went to our Parish to get my baptismal certificate but my name on my birth certificate does not exactly match my name on my baptismal certicate. This was a headache. I tried my luck at the DFA again and presented my school ID and application form to support my Transcript of Records, together with my Affidavit of Lost Passport, NBI clearance and Birth Certificate. These were only my requirements as I am currently unemployed. And yes! fortunately they were happy with my requirements and to my excitement I opt to pay for an overtime processing(takes only 2 days = Php750) instead of the regular processing(takes about a week = Php500). It was a learning experience, I have been fooled but that's life for me. The Philippine Passport is still handwritten and inside is a "Not valid for Travel to Iraq" stamp.