MANILA, Philippines?It seems that despite the introduction of new technologies almost everyday, some government agencies are still unable to enjoy the full benefits of these advances.

Reader Ma. Lilibeth A. Calsas wants to share her recent ordeal when she tried to get a copy of her birth certificate from the National Statistics Office (NSO).

At first, she tried making it easy on herself by using the highly publicized NSO delivery service, paying P300 (it will be raised to P315 to include documentary stamp) for the convenience. But the document did not arrive and the helpline was of little help.

She was told she had no record with the agency, which Calsas found hard to believe. ?I was able to get one before which I used for my passport and its renewal [later],? she wrote. Calsas said she was advised to go to the civil registrar in the province where she was born to verify her records. She found out that her middle name in their records was wrong.

Again this was news to her. ?The original document I have taken from the same office almost 20 years ago bears no error and NSO Manila released my document [then]. What puzzled me is that the same office claims I have no record with them now,? she said.

Calsas decided to follow up the release of her birth records, braving the ?sea of people? queuing to get various documents: birth, death, marriage, etc. ?For two days, I went to NSO to secure a copy of my birth certificate,? arriving at the agency a little past 8 only to find that lines were already long. She said if there was just a single line it could extend to Edsa Kamuning (Quezon City) MRT station or beyond (NSO?s Civil Registration Department is on Times Street corner Edsa in Quezon City). And it was not the most comfortable place to stand in line ?with extremely poor ventilation and where your chin almost touches [another person?s]? and sweaty arms were pressed against each other.

Calsas said this ?is an inhuman way to treat taxpayers! Why can?t the government treat its people with a molecule of dignity? What are the gentlemen in Congress doing about this situation? Can?t they [use] their brains to find ways to ease the agony of their constituents? Or are their minds busy [thinking about] what to do with their pork barrel??

Challenge to legislators

Calsas dares the members of Congress to visit NSO, stand in line like ordinary Filipinos. When she was there, Calsas said one of the people standing in line fainted from exhaustion and heat!

On the first day she went to NSO, after about two hours, Calsas was given the number 2,439. Screening of her application took another two hours with only three women attending to thousands of clients. She finally was able to pay for the requested document past noon. But she had to return the following afternoon to collect the document itself.

Before I got Calsas? letter, I have heard people complain about losing money by trying to apply for needed documents online. The documents requested for are supposed to be delivered after paying the required amount through an authorized bank.

A friend, who passed away recently, wanted to get birth certificates for her whole family that included, aside from herself, her husband and two daughters. She made the necessary bank payments?I think over one thousand pesos for the four documents. She did not get a single document, nakamatayan na. Nor did she get her money back. But she was such a gentle soul. She charged it all to experience and did not even formally complain with NSO.

I know of one or two other people with the same experience.

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