When I was completing my requirements for the new company I was joining, I completely and utterly…read moredreaded going to government offices to get my IDs or to file my papers. I just thought that these things would take up so much time and effort on my part. I needed to do them but it doesn't mean I will thoroughly enjoy it. Thankfully, my brother-in-law told me about the government branches in SM Aura's Business Tower. He said that the 7th floor of the tower housed offices of SSS, Pag-Ibig and Philhealth. It was perfect! I could do all my errands here without having to go from one city to another, braving the scorching summer heat and the insane Manila traffic. If you happen to get the need to visit the SSS office in Aura, I suggest you swing by early since the office still tends to fill up fast. They open as early as 7am but the place tends to gather people by 9am. The service here is pretty fast considering the number of people waiting for their turn. It's also air-conditioned (YIPEE!!!) and they have chairs for people waiting. If I'm not mistaken, they also offer drinking water for everyone!

I was really, really dreading going to a BIR because of the long queues and how stuffy the place…read morecan be. But, I found out that I needed to transfer my TIN number to a new district for my new job. Apparently, all my previous employers never told me that I needed to do this like... 10 years ago! At least this was going to be a learning experience and, even though I had to travel all the way to Makati, I had no choice but to do it. Surprisingly, the whole experience lasted for about 45 minutes with me. It would have been shorter had I not made a mistake filling out the wrong form. But, seriously. The whole process was done so efficiently without anybody giving me a hard time. Also, the representatives at the entrance will explain EVERYTHING you need to know before you even get in line. That way you and the processor know which officer you need to go to. Being the OC person that I am, this was an amazing experience! I hope that all BIR offices are this efficient now! :)

SM Aura's Office Tower houses a satellite branch of Philhealth. It's one of the government offices…read moreI had to process a few papers at and get my official Philhealth ID from about a month or so back. I was preparing to join a new company then and I had a seriously crazy list of requirements I had to turn over before officially joining. I must say I truly appreciated this government branch mainly because of how convenient it was. There were no lines and if there were, chairs were available for people to use while waiting. It was well-ventilated, so completely far from what I initially dreaded it would be. Plus, the staff of Philhealth were all very nice and accommodating. They answered all my queries regarding all my concerns and even extended help when I needed to get a certain certificate from them. Faith officially restored in Philhealth!

Honestly, there will always be a line at any government office. But, SSS always has a looong line…read morebecause of the number of people who need their services everyday. That being said, please remember that the officers in charge are also humans and can only do so much. For them to move fast, they have specific guidelines and operating procedures which YOU should follow too. Now, this branch just opened this year and, so far, this has been the fastest processing for my SSS card! I mean, back in the day, there were so many steps to go through and, well, you had to pay people to get things done. Today, the whole experience is way way different! I actually didn't even register online when I went here. I just wanted to apply for my UMID (YES! We now have a Unified Multi-purpose Identification card! Woohoo~). Before I arrived though, I did have my TIN, SSS, Philheath, and other documents ready. Plus, I wore a collared shirt just in case I was going to get my photo taken that day. The staff who meet you at the door are very nice and really informative. They already have a spiel for the whole process. Basically, fill up the form, line up, get your biometrics, and have your photo taken. Straight to the point, love it! So, I followed everything and they did find that I had registered for a UMID like a year ago and they had to cross check the information. I was led to another window, the lady helped me get all the information in order very quickly, and I was back on the biometrics line. After my prints were taken, I finished with my photo taken. The lady who assisted me then told me to expect my UMID within 2 months time and that I could call them if it didn't arrive. Would you like to know how long this whole process took? 1.5 HOURS! That was seriously not bad! Everything was done efficiently and I am very grateful that the officers made it a point to "move quickly." Best part to this whole experience? I received my UMID in the mail 3 weeks later! UH-MAZING!!! :D

Being an International Relations student both in my undergraduate and graduate programs, the…read moreDepartment of Foreign Affairs is like a second home to me. A whole bunch of my classmates work here, and I may work here too, in the future. It's like a beacon for those in my field, calling those who would like to serve the Philippines by fomenting relationships with the international community and assisting nationals abroad. As such, I'm in the DFA building all the time. You can feel the grandeur and the importance of this place, its history, how it became one of the premier departments in government and has helped shape what the country has become. If you get to visit the DFA, do not pass up the chance to go by their library. It's one of the best ones in the country, and you'll find a lot of students writing their thesis here, rooting through old books and periodicals to find the data they need.

I am only give a review about the DFA branch within the government centre, not including the online…read morebooking system. Arriving at the mall, be sure to use the right entrance, this would be the one beside a 7-eleven along P. Tuazon. Lines are expected to be long, and in multiple lines, and you'd need to determine which line to be in, especially if your appointment with DFA is at 10AM. And the system is highly inefficient and also exhausting, lining up outside in the heat, and once appointment has been confirmed by the guard, another queueing inside, before being led to the third floor for another queue. We got called in at roughly 10:40 instead of 10:00, but once inside, the process is speedy and staff were friendly, from document checking (step 1) to paying for passport delivery (final step of renewal), it took me about half an hour.

My license has been expired for almost a year now and I finally had the energy and time to face…read moreLTO. I've been hearing nothing but good things about their satellite office in Ali Mall so I decided to have it renewed there. To my surprise, there was NO MORE LTO OFFICE there! While I was disappointed, I was also impressed to find that there was an (almost) complete government service center there, every office you'll need! They had a satellite for almost all departments with everyday concerns like DTI, SSS, NBI, DFA for passport renewal, even our local baranggay office! I loved how it was so accessible to the people without it having to be a headache (although you still had to wait for your turn). It's great to see private-public partnerships like these. They don't have to be huge collaborations, simple projects like these really help the people and the country progress!

It's been 8 years since the last time I had to renew my NBI clearance and I guess I'm speaking for…read moreeverybody when I say that it's not something people look forward to doing. I heard that they have a satellite office located at the compound of Mandaluyong City hall which is nearer to my place compared to their main office. Unfortunately, they have a new procedure in place wherein those who want to secure a clearance need to pre-register using an online form. Fortunately, one of the personnels of the city hall saw me and said that he will just assist me since I am a person with disability. He just directed me to an enterprising soul who has set up a laptop with a printer hooked up to it. For a PhP20 fee, she can register you online and print the form for you. Considering that they usually charge PhP15 per half hour of internet usage plus around PhP3 per page of printout, I gladly took up the offer and paid the fee. The same kuya then talked to the NBI personnel so that I don't have to pay the fee for the clearance in a Bayad Center. Then they took my biometrics and mugshot err picture. The whole process that usually takes an entire day to complete just took me under an hour. Kudos to the personnel of Mandaluyong City for their efficient service. And one thing I also want to mention is around a few minutes after noon, there was a commotion and it turned out that the city mayor decided to do a spot check to ensure that employees are adhering to the no noontime lunchbreak policy. He even approached some of the people waiting to get their NBI clearance to ask them how they are doing and get feedback on the service they are receiving. Talk about a rarity in Phililpine public office.