Day 71: Zoomin' at LTO

I was able to take a quick glance at my driver's license about two weeks ago and was shocked to see that it was going to be expiring this year. Time sure flies so fast...it seems only a year ago when I renewed it and now I have to go through that LTO process once again. My experiences in the past have already given me the impression that renewing one's driver's license would normally take a whole day to process plus a waiting period of no less than three months for the card-type license to be released.

Imagine my surprise when I breezed through LTO-Butuan from 10:45-11:20 am only. Well, if you include the medical check up and drug test, it took a total of one hour and fifteen minutes. I've never experienced a process as organized and smooth-flowing as this in the many years I've been renewing my license.

Having a color-coded number also made it easier for the public to know who's next in line at what station. Another thing that was quite remarkable was how friendly all the staff were...definitely no grumpy Manangs or Manongs here.

I can say that technology has indeed made things so much easier and more convenient at the LTO...I'm one happy customer!

Day 188: P-Noy Time

Barely two weeks into the presidency, P-Noy is setting a trend it seems...

One of the things that the Filipino is quite known for worldwide is his weird concept of time and punctuality. For some reason, we are known for not having a good sense of time management - we think it's okay to be late for appointments, meetings and occasions. We get flacked by foreigners because of this.

For the 2nd or 3rd time since his inauguration, President Noynoy Aquino arrived late for an important event today...the Red Mass of the Catholic Church. When pressed for an explanation the next day, P-Noy blamed his tardiness on three things: staying up late for an event the previous night, brownouts at his place and an upset stomach. 


Much has been publicized about his "wang-wang" directive and I must say he's probably setting a good example but if he really wants to be the role model of the entire Filipino nation, he should start from the most basic behavior and that is having the courtesy to be on time for appointments. By dignifying his tardiness with excuses, he's sending the wrong message to the people - that it is okay to be late as long as you didn't use a siren/'wang-wang' or you lined up at the jeepney/MRT terminal.


This country has bigger problems to address and solve...let's move on to the more important stuff and avoid dwelling on the trivialities please!