Featured Archives - Page 15 of 233

Pasig City Voter’s Registration Experience

You’ll never see me near any government office (not unless I have to accompany a friend) but to do business with a government office, NO WAY! I do not like long lines, which government service offices are famous for.

So it was not a surprise that it took me 11 long years to register (as a voter) here in Pasig. Last Wednesday, I managed to muster up all my courage and troop down to Pasig City Hall. As expected, the city hall was bustling with people… eto na nga ang long lines that I hate! argh! My anxiety died down as I enter the lobby.. the guards were accommodating and eager to serve and the city hall is air- conditioned! Yehey!!

Pasig City COMELEC is located at the 5th floor of the building. I finally relaxed when I saw a few people at the office. I searched for my Barangay’s window (each barangay have their own window.. bawal daw maligaw eh hehe) and I was done in less than 30 minutes.. mas matagal pa yata ang pag fill up ko ng form.

This is the easiest government transaction I ever did in my entire Filipino life. Eh paano ba naman, pagdating mo pa lang sa area ng COMELEC, nagdudumilat na ang mga poster guides.. anything you need to know/ ask, mababasa mo sa poster.

STEP 1. INTERVIEW

May interview daw? Anong sasabihin ko?!? Jusmeeee, nag handa pa naman ako ng speech, kukunin lang pala ang ID ko. What kind of ID? As I have mentioned, anything you need to know, consult the posters. See image above for the list of IDs they accept.

STEP 2. FILL- UP FORMS

Easy peasy step..they have sample forms plastered on the wall..

STEP 3. RECORDING

WOW! Recording agad! Sing and dance competition?!?

Turns out, this step is for checking of forms and precinct assignment. Umaasa ako.. umaasa ako..

STEP 4. BIOMETRICS

Nag make- up ako.. alam ko to eh..I registered at Valenzuela way back 2003.. nakuha ko ang ID ko last 2013.. we’ll discuss later why it took that long. Nagulat ako sa itsura ko..kala mo pang horror movie.

STEP 5. RELEASING

They gave me a stub and told me to return after 3 months for my precinct assignment.. Now, the burning question: When can I get my voter’s ID (where I look normal)?!?

It will take 3-5 years daw..eh malamang mukha na akong dyosa nun!

PJ Malapit from Step 1 (yes, the one smiling at the photo) explained it to me why it will take that long.. ang ganda ko daw masyado.. ganun katagal bago madevelop ang picture. CHOS!

It has something to do daw with AFIS or Automated Fingerprint Identifications System. According to him, all fingerprints of registered voters are subjected to a computerized fingerprint-matching process where they check if the voter is registered in more than one location. The checking happens at the central office, so just imagine the volume.

If I had known that registration is this easy, I should have registered dati pa. O kaya kayo, after Holy Week, go na sa nearest COMELEC office and register!

Gusto ko sana sabihin na I highly recommend Pasig City COMELEC pero hindi naman tayo lahat sa Pasig mag paparehistro (pero sinabi ko din ano).

Next government service office experience: LTO for student permit! Coming soon!

Hotel Luna Review

Vigan is now named as one of the 7 New Wonder Cities of the World and if you are planning to visit Vigan anytime, I suggest you book a room at Hotel Luna.

Hotel Luna is located a few steps away from the famous cobblestone street, Calle Crisologo. The perfect place to relax after a day of touring Vigan or walking the famous calle.

This is the entrance of the hotel. The hotel is fairly new but the design matches those of the old houses in Vigan. Upon entrance, you’d be impressed how the hotel maintains the “old” aura. Even the Hotel rooms have the ancestral feel, bathroom included!

This is the lobby of the hotel. With this architecture, it’s not too hard to imagine your receptionist to be in her Maria Clara dress. As you enter the hotel, you’ll notice the many artworks displayed in almost every corner. There are paintings, sculptures and art installations to marvel at.

The left and right view outside our room.

And this is the view from outside our room (view below). The pool area is quite small but the kids had fun in the pool. I had fun too.. and you know it means big. I didn’t worry that much though the pool was 4 feet deep. Sati and Chico just stayed at the pools steps. The kids also had fun with the waterfalls effect on the right side of the pool (the one that is not in the photo) and the changing pool lights.

As I have mentioned in my Vigan post (read: Vigan Travel Experience), we had a corner room at Hotel Luna. Our room was really big, spacious and very homey. I love that it is carpeted. I have a thing with floors.. and any carpeted floor is my new bff.

Here’s the photo of the room:

See how big it was (the glass door over there leads to the bathroom). Not in this picture is the vanity area and coffee table.

This is is the bathroom..which was a bit cramped. I actually had a problem with the sink being that near the toilet bowl.

the other side is the bath area..

And this is the fun part! Imagine an ancestral looking hotel with this kind of technology inside the bathroom!

Cool di ba? San nakakabili nito? Gusto ko din ng ganitong high tech sa banyo ko haha

More room photos..

We only got to try their breakfast and we’re more than satisfied with the food displayed..

But more than the food, it was their staff at Comedor that is worth mentioning. They are very attentive and courteous and very helpful too!

As mentioned in their website, Hotel Luna is the first and only museum hotel in the Philippines, indeed they are. Although I cannot vouch for the fact that they are the only museum hotel, I can attest to the fact that Hotel Luna is really a museum hotel. Every corner is a place to admire.

At the right side of the hotel lobby is a grand staircase that leads to a grand sala where most art installations and paintings are located. This is also the part of the hotel where the Executive Suite is located.

Our overall experience at Hotel Luna is excellent . And my kids said we should go back at Vigan and stay again at Hotel Luna.

For that trip, I bought two hotel vouchers from Deal Grocer. A night stay at Double Queen Deluxe (with breakfast for 2), for less than $100 USD or 4000 PhP. I booked the room via email and Hotel Luna was very prompt in answering my inquiries and booking my reservation.

Hotel Luna is located at Luna Street, 2300 Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Accommodations vary from Queen Standard, Deluxe, Double Queen Deluxe, Executive Suite to Loft Suite. Accommodation price starts at 3000+ PhP

Jollibee Kids Club Welcomes The Voice Kids Top 4

The Voice Kids Top 4 Darren Espanto, Darlene Vibares, winner Lyca Gairanod and Juan Karlos Labajo have signed up as the newest members and Jollibee ambassadors of the coolest club for kids—Jollibee Kids Club (JKC).

The young talents were formally introduced as JKC members during their second major concert held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel.

Darren, Darlene, Lyca and JK had a meet-and-greet session with 20 lucky JKC members, signing autographs and taking photos with their fellow kids. In a special segment during the concert, the four also sang the JKC theme song “Dito, Masaya,” dancing with everyone’s favorite friend, Jollibee.

Photo shows The Voice Kids with (from left) RBU Head Executive Secretary Aine Aira Tomada, Regional Business Unit Head-Visayas Shing Llanos, Management Associate Beatriz Cruz, Visayas Trade Marketing Manager Nelson Judaya, Store Development Officer Marcos Arnie Presas, Trade Marketing Officers Leah Sausa and Orven Zaragoza, andHR Manager-Visayas Katherine Quesada.

Press Release from Jollibee