Today, I decided to apply for a drivers license. At first, I was planning to go to the Santolan Licensing Office but when I asked the taxi driver he was not so sure how to find it. It was good that he knew how to get to the East Avenue (Main) Office of the LTO so that is where I ended up. I arrived there at around 9AM in the midst of a very gray and rainy morning. As soon as I got off the taxi someone with an umbrella was planning to escort me. He insisted that I should first go on the other side of the road instead of the Entrance. My first instinct was to ignore them so I just ran towards the entrance. The guard told me to go to Window 14. Because it was really raining so badly I was glad to find that they had covered walkways all throughout.
The main building , where Window 14 is located is the first blue building you would see after walking through their catwalk. At the entrance, one would probably get confused if it was a chapel or the main hall. But it was both. The chapel was smack right in the middle of the main hall and at the other end of it you would find Window 14 where you would see several people sitting in light blue chairs. At that time, (only) less than 50 people were seated there.

I told the guy at Window 14 I had a foreign license I wanted to convert into a Philippine license and that I had gotten married since and changed my name. I was ready with my marriage license and passport. He then gave me an application form and told me to get my medical clearance and drug test. And guess where that was — right across the street. So now I understand that the “escorts” who mobbed me in front of LTO worked for these drug test and medical clinics.

Later on, I realized I would rely a big deal on the “escorts”, first of all to help me cross that extremely busy street called East Avenue and shielding me from the rain. In the end, I felt sort of cared for. It felt half dodgy but somehow, I also felt that it will be alright, even as I followed them towards the seedy narrow walkways where left and right are small makeshift offices that provide many kinds of services which include notary publics, photocopying, medical clearances, drug tests.. Maybe even snacks! A lot of other applicants were also there so I felt that it was pretty legit. I asked for their fees: it was 400 pesos for both the urinalysis for the drug test and the medical exam. They first asked for my foreign drivers license because they had to use it to enter data into their computer system. They told me this was part of the process. And so I gave them my license. It didn’t feel that wrong since others were also giving their license. I then paid for the fee and they gave me a number. When my number was called I was given the plastic cup and was taken to the toilet. Luckily I was able to collect just enough to fill the cup. Next was the medical exam. I had a vision test. I told them immediately that I wore glasses and that I unfortunately forgot to bring them. They said it was ok. They would just note that I had to wear glasses. After that, they took my blood pressure. It was quite on the high side but it seemed not bad enough to fail so they just told me to lose weight. In short, I passed the medical exam. Whew! I thanked the doctor and then went back with my “escort”. She helped me cross the street.

While walking, some other men offered to “fix” my license. They said the lines were long. I told them the lines were pretty short today. I thanked both of them and proceeded to go back to Window 14. Later on, I found out I had to still photocopy (when will I ever learn to PHOTOCOPY before going) my passport and foreign drivers license. It was good that there was one at the back. 8 pesos later, I had my photocopied documents submitted. I was given a number. All it takes now is to wait for my number to show up on the display. Not long after, I saw my number and then I was asked to have my picture and signature taken. After that, I waited for my name to be called, this time it was the cashier and so paid some 600+ pesos. After sometime, I was called again to get another photo and signature. And then, not long after that I was finally called the final time to pick up the license card. It was nevertheless anticlimactic. I couldn’t believe it was all finished. I had my card in my hand. What else is there to do (buy a car!)? I sat in the chapel and paid my respect and gratitude to the Lord and went back home. I arrived home before 12 noon.