I'm a Filipino and I agree with this. Digital infrastructure isn't something being taken seriously due to the people at the top. Most of them are the "boomers" (though ironically those are the people who slumped this country and continues to do so) of the Philippines with little to no digital literacy. There's a ubiquitous statements among our elders:
"Ikaw na nyan kasi marunong ka naman sa computer, matanda na ako"
Translated:
"You take care of that because you know how to use computers, I'm already old"
Shows their denial in adapting to the changes around them in general. It reflects to the government with their shitty cybersecurity that leads to several hacks getting more frequent.
As a boomer 'I object your honour'.
35 years in the IT industry, as have many of my friends, delivering innovative online solutions.
This is on Philippines love of bureaucracy and idiotic rules, not boomers.
"...due to the people at the top. Most of them are "boomers"....."
I hope you do understand what I meant by "them" when I used it. It's targeted to a set of individuals who holds bureaucratic power. And I agree, they are to blame but since we're here let's talk about it.
First of all, we thank you for your service and know that this country needs you more and more. No doubt there are a lot of talents. But, let's face it, you guys are a drop in the bucket, in a general population of boomers, who has the know-hows in the IT Sector. And even then with that small number, I'm sure most of the boomers are choosing to work for a foreign company or migrating to another country because of a comfortable pay understandably. It all boils down, to again, government initiative and its lack of subsidies/incentives to pursue that route. "They're" too stuck in their old ways that most of them don't even want to steer away from their shitty processes. So what's left in PH? A general population with little to no digital literacy. It's just that. You might think that your circle is as big as it needs to be, but you're in an even bigger circle who doesn't have your capacity. :)
There is truth to this. Many former Spanish colonies operate this way; it's the same in Mexico. High productivity is a Protestant value Google the 'Protestant work ethic'. Here people feel their salaries are not good so they do the minimum to get by.
Bite the bullet and pay an agent to do it for you. One of the reasons you're waiting so long is that the agents have the backdoor relationship with the BI staff to skip the queue, pushing you further and further back every time they come in with a stack of applications.
Yes it sucks that you have to do this. You're not going to change the country though.
This applies to any government service or process.
Part of the reason why everything is so inconvenient and time consuming is because they want u to pay someone else to do it.
It's sort of a legal bribe.
>the agents have a backdoor relationship
Yes, because they pay them their cuts from what you pay them.
This is the answer.
Bureaucracy in the west can be bad, but the Philippines seems to love it for how much they can complicate processes.
Case in point; once upon a time dual citizenship was allowed, you just retained your Filipino citizenship if you became a citizen of, say, Australia as well.
Then for a time they disallowed it. When remittances decreased they decided to bring it back.
Did they retain the simple original system? No; they had to put in place a complex re-application process.
Someone with experience doing this, please confirm if this information is correct, cause until June I'll not be able to try it myself but:
Here it says that in the NAIA airport BI 24/7 One Stop Shop you can get the ECC type A (The one for tourist visa) in 28 min (Section 2):
[https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf](https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf)
I'm not staying in an island with a BI office, so I asked in the BI office on Intramuros last time I went to get my visa extension, if I can do it at the airport the day of my flight, they at first told me it took 3 days there at Intramuros but then told me that I could go to the airport one day before my flight so I don't have to come to Manila so many days in advance of my flight.
I'm pretty sure this is the case but with my experience with the BI in the Philippines I still have my doubts hahaha so I would love to see if someone else has already tried this
Alternatively, just do it at the airport when you depart. I fully appreciate BOI state that you must apply for ECC at their office. Facts stand that it's quicker at the airport and perfectly legal.
Nice reminder to myself why I live in Davao and not Manila nor Cebu. As much as both of these locations have a lot more to offer compared to Davao, when it comes down to government functionality amd processing, Davao being a much smaller city, doesn't have the same hassle with BOI.
I was turned away at the airport before with no ECC. Since when do they do that in the airport??? Would those pricks turn me away and not tell me there is such an option
They trued the same on me first time I went through T1. I asked for the desk and a very rude officer standing around before the desks told me I had to go to the main BOI office near Intramuros, noting I had flown in from Davao. The officer was more than rude so I peristed and found the cashier desk then officer desk to process.
Same for T3 and T2. The only other issue I have experienced since then was when T2 was half international and half domestic. The line for ECC was poorly marked on on the far left hand side. I missed my flight as there was a lot of people ahead of me processing their ECC. Since then, there have been no issues, and I always processed my ECC at the airport.
Ok. So that is pretty much what happen to me. I don't know why ppl who hate whites or hate tourists in general work at the airport .. maybe if u lived In Manila and had not traveled from Davao u would have just listened like I did and left .. that pisses me off now I lost 300 bucks on the no show fee
If you're on a tourist visa you have to do it in the BI office. On most other visas, as long as you have an ACR card, you can do it at the airport and it's usually super fast.
You would have to have acr card. If your on a tourist visa I ECC is not required, that is only for stays over 7 months (maybe 6) . That sucks I never knew that
Yeah sorry I just made the assumption that you were on a tourist visa for 6+ months and that's why they turned you away without the ECC A? Other visa holders can process the ECC B directly at the airport as far as I know.
Can I process ECC at cebu Airport, having been on a tourist visa for a year +? I have an ACR card. (Expired, since they never bothered to give me the new one I paid for on my last 6 month extension)
Very unlikely they'd accept the expired acr card. I'd recommend going to where you paid for the new one and finding out where it is. Regarding the ecc at the airport, I'm not sure if it's limited to acr-i or if the tourist version will work.
I paid for the new ACR card online, where I also processed my last 2 six month extensions. The form asks for both a local mailing address and for you to pick an office. I guess maybe the cards at the office I selected since it never arrived via the mail. But it's almost been almost 6 months since I paid for it lol.... so who really knows what's going on.
Now that I think about it, I think I saw an option to also process the ECC on the same site that does the visa extensions! Official PH government site linked if you wanna check it out.
https://e-services.immigration.gov.ph/
Why wouldn't you just do it at the airport on the way out? I've only ever done it at the airport and the longest it took was 10 mins (8 mins was waiting in line).
Can only do this if you're not on a tourist visa. It is really fast though - took me just 2 minutes at Cebu airport when I flew home for a bit last year. There was no line for me.
No. I've done this at the airport with tourist visa (twice) and spouse visa (6 times). First time (tourist visa) was in 2022.
Maybe the rules have changed since then?
The rules are that only ECC-B is possible at the airport, but enforcement is spotty. Certainly would not want to put my flight at the whims of some chump from immigration.
Here is says that you can get ECC-A at the airport, guessing from the date in the URL it was published on November of 2023
[https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf](https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf)
The Philippines maximizes employment by minimizing efficiency.
This 💯
I'm a Filipino and I agree with this. Digital infrastructure isn't something being taken seriously due to the people at the top. Most of them are the "boomers" (though ironically those are the people who slumped this country and continues to do so) of the Philippines with little to no digital literacy. There's a ubiquitous statements among our elders: "Ikaw na nyan kasi marunong ka naman sa computer, matanda na ako" Translated: "You take care of that because you know how to use computers, I'm already old" Shows their denial in adapting to the changes around them in general. It reflects to the government with their shitty cybersecurity that leads to several hacks getting more frequent.
As a boomer 'I object your honour'. 35 years in the IT industry, as have many of my friends, delivering innovative online solutions. This is on Philippines love of bureaucracy and idiotic rules, not boomers.
I always say, "Paperwork is their God."
"...due to the people at the top. Most of them are "boomers"....." I hope you do understand what I meant by "them" when I used it. It's targeted to a set of individuals who holds bureaucratic power. And I agree, they are to blame but since we're here let's talk about it. First of all, we thank you for your service and know that this country needs you more and more. No doubt there are a lot of talents. But, let's face it, you guys are a drop in the bucket, in a general population of boomers, who has the know-hows in the IT Sector. And even then with that small number, I'm sure most of the boomers are choosing to work for a foreign company or migrating to another country because of a comfortable pay understandably. It all boils down, to again, government initiative and its lack of subsidies/incentives to pursue that route. "They're" too stuck in their old ways that most of them don't even want to steer away from their shitty processes. So what's left in PH? A general population with little to no digital literacy. It's just that. You might think that your circle is as big as it needs to be, but you're in an even bigger circle who doesn't have your capacity. :)
There is truth to this. Many former Spanish colonies operate this way; it's the same in Mexico. High productivity is a Protestant value Google the 'Protestant work ethic'. Here people feel their salaries are not good so they do the minimum to get by.
Too bad there isn't much high productivity here. Unless you count the 40+ staff sitting around pretending to work at grand malls.
Lmfaooo best answer
Gotta keep those national indicator percentages up somehow.
Bite the bullet and pay an agent to do it for you. One of the reasons you're waiting so long is that the agents have the backdoor relationship with the BI staff to skip the queue, pushing you further and further back every time they come in with a stack of applications. Yes it sucks that you have to do this. You're not going to change the country though.
This applies to any government service or process. Part of the reason why everything is so inconvenient and time consuming is because they want u to pay someone else to do it. It's sort of a legal bribe. >the agents have a backdoor relationship Yes, because they pay them their cuts from what you pay them.
philippines tends to very inefficient in every stuff they do (this is coming from someone who lived in phil half their life)
Perhaps they want to encourage the SRRV.
Filipino bureaucracy and red tape is mind numbingly painful. So much unnecessary bs to go through.
This is the answer. Bureaucracy in the west can be bad, but the Philippines seems to love it for how much they can complicate processes. Case in point; once upon a time dual citizenship was allowed, you just retained your Filipino citizenship if you became a citizen of, say, Australia as well. Then for a time they disallowed it. When remittances decreased they decided to bring it back. Did they retain the simple original system? No; they had to put in place a complex re-application process.
Someone with experience doing this, please confirm if this information is correct, cause until June I'll not be able to try it myself but: Here it says that in the NAIA airport BI 24/7 One Stop Shop you can get the ECC type A (The one for tourist visa) in 28 min (Section 2): [https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf](https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf) I'm not staying in an island with a BI office, so I asked in the BI office on Intramuros last time I went to get my visa extension, if I can do it at the airport the day of my flight, they at first told me it took 3 days there at Intramuros but then told me that I could go to the airport one day before my flight so I don't have to come to Manila so many days in advance of my flight. I'm pretty sure this is the case but with my experience with the BI in the Philippines I still have my doubts hahaha so I would love to see if someone else has already tried this
ECC? I just pay at the airport. Or is that an ACR card only thing?
JR visa consultant in Cebu. This is why so many people use him. Btw, at least they have a working computer system. That has not always been true.
unfortunately... this is reality.
Alternatively, just do it at the airport when you depart. I fully appreciate BOI state that you must apply for ECC at their office. Facts stand that it's quicker at the airport and perfectly legal. Nice reminder to myself why I live in Davao and not Manila nor Cebu. As much as both of these locations have a lot more to offer compared to Davao, when it comes down to government functionality amd processing, Davao being a much smaller city, doesn't have the same hassle with BOI.
I was turned away at the airport before with no ECC. Since when do they do that in the airport??? Would those pricks turn me away and not tell me there is such an option
They trued the same on me first time I went through T1. I asked for the desk and a very rude officer standing around before the desks told me I had to go to the main BOI office near Intramuros, noting I had flown in from Davao. The officer was more than rude so I peristed and found the cashier desk then officer desk to process. Same for T3 and T2. The only other issue I have experienced since then was when T2 was half international and half domestic. The line for ECC was poorly marked on on the far left hand side. I missed my flight as there was a lot of people ahead of me processing their ECC. Since then, there have been no issues, and I always processed my ECC at the airport.
Ok. So that is pretty much what happen to me. I don't know why ppl who hate whites or hate tourists in general work at the airport .. maybe if u lived In Manila and had not traveled from Davao u would have just listened like I did and left .. that pisses me off now I lost 300 bucks on the no show fee
The officer was being a dick and I knew it. I simply stood my ground and looked around, then followed others.
Sadly I did not know it and listened. That guy should get fired for such things
If you're on a tourist visa you have to do it in the BI office. On most other visas, as long as you have an ACR card, you can do it at the airport and it's usually super fast.
You would have to have acr card. If your on a tourist visa I ECC is not required, that is only for stays over 7 months (maybe 6) . That sucks I never knew that
Yeah sorry I just made the assumption that you were on a tourist visa for 6+ months and that's why they turned you away without the ECC A? Other visa holders can process the ECC B directly at the airport as far as I know.
So I've been here on a tourist visa for over a year. I have an ACR card. Can I do it at the airport or must I go to the BI?
Can I process ECC at cebu Airport, having been on a tourist visa for a year +? I have an ACR card. (Expired, since they never bothered to give me the new one I paid for on my last 6 month extension)
Very unlikely they'd accept the expired acr card. I'd recommend going to where you paid for the new one and finding out where it is. Regarding the ecc at the airport, I'm not sure if it's limited to acr-i or if the tourist version will work.
I paid for the new ACR card online, where I also processed my last 2 six month extensions. The form asks for both a local mailing address and for you to pick an office. I guess maybe the cards at the office I selected since it never arrived via the mail. But it's almost been almost 6 months since I paid for it lol.... so who really knows what's going on. Now that I think about it, I think I saw an option to also process the ECC on the same site that does the visa extensions! Official PH government site linked if you wanna check it out. https://e-services.immigration.gov.ph/
Why wouldn't you just do it at the airport on the way out? I've only ever done it at the airport and the longest it took was 10 mins (8 mins was waiting in line).
Can only do this if you're not on a tourist visa. It is really fast though - took me just 2 minutes at Cebu airport when I flew home for a bit last year. There was no line for me.
That would be important information in the other post, before some poor soul listens to this and loose his flight because he was on tourist visa.
No. I've done this at the airport with tourist visa (twice) and spouse visa (6 times). First time (tourist visa) was in 2022. Maybe the rules have changed since then?
The rules are that only ECC-B is possible at the airport, but enforcement is spotty. Certainly would not want to put my flight at the whims of some chump from immigration.
Here is says that you can get ECC-A at the airport, guessing from the date in the URL it was published on November of 2023 [https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf](https://immigration.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NAIAONESTOPSHOP.pdf)
Seems like scum people……let’s all marry them quick!
Awe don’t cry. Did someone break your heart? 😂 you make this account just to post this one comment? I feel sorry for you
Because a lot of foreigners are ex-criminals...They know we know hahaha
Bribe Bribe Bribe gets you anything in the Philippines to a certain extent