Of titles and positions


There was a time when, though officially "just" a member of the staff of our division, I was designated a section chief directly under our regional Director's office. When our regional office transferred location to somewhere outside the city, however, I requested to be reassigned to our head office back in the city. I had to take care of my mom, and we had no househelp. My husband and I were also undergoing a fertility work-up. With these reasons, our Director relented. In the head office, I was back to being "just" a member of the staff of one of the divisions.

Fast forward a decade later, when I was reassigned from the head office to a sub-regional office in the outskirts of the city. After a year, I was designated as the deputy head of office -- the second highest in command. It was a small office, but had a workforce of more than 50 individuals. After another year, the title changed to something fancier: "Deputy Director." Until now, I can barely wrap my head around that title and can barely believe that I occupied the position, ha ha. 

In my fourth year in the sub-regional office, however, I was recalled back to the head office. I am once again serving as part of our division's staff.

In both cases, co-employees asked me, why did I consent to being reassigned or recalled without retaining my designation as head? It was a demotion for me, so they said. But I said, how could it be a demotion? As a designated head of a section or office, I was only in-charge of a section but there was no promotion in terms of salary grade and pay. And, I knew from the start that, being designated, I was only serving at the pleasure of the appointing authority, and was aware that I could be replaced at any time.

This goes to show that some people are really concerned with titles, but I was not overly concerned about my own, actually and honestly. Which got me to thinking, why is that? Is it because I lack ambition to rise up the ladder? But I'm not, because I want to get actually promoted - in salary grade and pay, which I did not enjoy as being just a designated officer. 

For me, the title does not matter much. What matters most to me is that, wherever I am assigned, I want to be an asset. I want to be someone who contributes to the accomplishments of the office. I want to be someone who can make a positive impact on the lives and careers on the people I work with, and I do not need a title for that. 

No, I am not sourgraping. In fact, I will always be thankful that management in some offices have given me the opportunity to be in managerial positions and to try to make a difference. I was actually taken out of my comfort zone, and these allowed me to grow -- maybe not in height, and I have given up on that, but I have learned so much from those times. Those are not limited to the experience of additional tasks and responsibilities, but also made me understand how to better deal with people from different walks of life. I dare say that, even for just a bit, I am a better listener, more empathetic, and more patient in dealing with those who have different personalities and abilities, and these learnings and small personal improvements will help me in whatever position I will occupy in the future. In my most recent assignment, staff have always expressed their gratitude that they experienced a boss like me, whom they found to be "caring and patient" -- their words, not mine. Well, I WILL take their word for it 😉

So, I do not regret those times. I know that God had a reason to make me experience them, no matter how brief. I know that my time in the sun will come. 

#DestinationNippon: Docs to complete




Let me confess the biggest risk we took for our trip to Japan: it was buying plane tickets, AirBNB and hotel accommodations, and tour or package tickets even though we hadn’t applied yet for visas!

Yes, that’s what we did, and I do not honestly know whether I would recommend it. We did it because some said it would be a plus in having your visa application approved if you had tickets as one proof that you would really just be there for a few days. But there are others who said plane tickets were not required at all. Maybe both were right?

What slowed us down a bit was additional requirements for Kaye. First of all, she did not have a passport. C and I had our own – as a government employee, I was entitled to a courtesy lane where my husband, parents, or children could join me, no appointments needed. With this, C and I would always renew our passports together.

Kaye, however, was another story. She was not our own kid, so I could not bring her with me to the courtesy lane. But do you know what happened? The Passport-on-Wheels of the Department of Foreign Affairs came to our office, and I really thank the Lord and our HRD organizers for thinking of it. This was another sign that we would be going to Japan!

Prior to the DFA event, I applied for an appointment for Kaye and requested her mom to come to the office to accompany her on the date that the DFA would be coming. You see, a minor applying for a passport has to be accompanied by a parent – and there were less requirements if the accompanying parent was the mother rather than the father.

Another added requirement was that since, again, Kaye was a minor and not our kid, we needed travel clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Applying for one meant submitting authorization letters and letter of consent from the parents, their marriage contract, and our affidavit of support.

Finally, as working professionals, my husband C and I needed to submit approved applications for leave of absence. As a government employee, I also needed to secure a travel authority from our office.

To help out those of you who want quick links to requirements and downloadable forms, here they are:

1. Birth and marriage certificates on PSA Security Paper

I advise you to go to the nearest Serbilis Center (check out this site for their branches) because it’s cheaper and the certificates will be issued in less than an hour.

In case you don’t have time to go to a Serbilis Center, you can order for your copy online by clicking this link. Be warned, though, that you will shell out twice the amount to have your documents delivered to your doorstep (in as little as two days, depending on your address), and that you will have to leave an authorization letter in case you aren’t home at the expected time.  

You will need these for your visa and/or passport application. Note that the marriage certificate is usually only applicable for women (because of the name change). 

Certificates are usually required to be issued within a year. Tip: When requesting for multiple copies at the PSA, you can request separate receipts to be issued per copy so that the issue dates can be seen. When we applied for a visa, though, the receipt was actually not needed anymore. 

Don't forget to photocopy everything!

2. Passports

If you already have a passport, the general international rule is to make sure that it is valid for more than six months. This means that your passport should be valid at least six months after the final date of travel. So if your target travel date is from January 1 to 10, 2020, then your passport should be valid until at least June 10, 2020 and beyond.

Don't have a passport or need to renew it because of this validity rule? Then check out the links below:

1. Check out the DFA website on this page if you can avail of the courtesy lane and don't need to set up an appointment.
2.  If you're not entitled to the courtesy lane, you may need to set up an appointment here.
3.     For other requirements, check out the DFA website on this page for application for new passports, or you can go to this page for passport renewal.

Passports are usually delivered to your doorstep within a week. Sadly, passports are delivered (and paid for) individually. This meant my husband and I, even if we lived in the same house and applied for our passports together, had to pay for separate delivery fees with our passports arriving in separate pouches.

3. Visa application

Japan is one of those countries that require visas from Filipinos or those holding Philippine passports. Check out their website by clicking here for the requirements for whatever type of visa you're applying for, whether as a tourist, or to visit relatives or more, and the corresponding visa application form. 

Note that, with some exceptions, applying for a Japanese visa is not via walk-in unlike, say, applying for a US or Canadian visa. The Japanese Embassy has some accredited agencies where you can submit your application, and you can view their addresses and websites here.

Visa application usually takes about a week. In truth, temporary visitor visas are free, but the agencies charge varying (though non-refundable) rates for processing. Isn't that a relief? It's much easier than a US visa which is expensive and non-refundable.

Shout out, by the way, to Attic Tours where our applications were submitted and processed within the week. They also charged us with only P1,600+ processing fee.

4. Photos

You will need 2x2 photos with white background. You can easily print these out, or have your picture taken at a photo studio, just tell them "Japanese visa". We had ours done that way, where they asked us to choose the kind of outfit to wear. Well, they just took photos of us in our regular clothes, then edited the photos so it appeared like we were wearing coats! :-)

5. Letter of guarantee

We had this form filled out by my husband as guarantor that he would see to the expenses and other needs of Kaye during our trip. If we had not submitted a bank certificate of our joint account, I would probably have needed to submit a guarantee letter from my husband too. 

This is also required for those who were invited to Japan. Click here to download the form.

6. DSWD Travel Clearance for Minor

This document is required for minors who are travelling without their parents. Good news! The application is also available online, and you can view the requirements and download the form here. You have to apply for this at least two weeks before your travel, but got the clearance within three working days.

For this, we needed also the affidavit of consent from both parents, and original and photocopies of IDs (with photo and signature) and marriage certificates. Plus, a letter of authorization for us to be able to submit the documents in their stead. 

I was briefly interviewed by a social worker when I submitted this. The questions included details of our family and work backgrounds.

7. Other documents

The other documents that we prepared were the following:
  • Bank balance certificate, requested from the bank
  • Travel authority - a document needed by government employees authorizing them to leave the country, whether on a personal or official basis
  • Approved leave of absence - Also required for the travel authority
  • Employment certificate and income tax return as further proof of financial capability
  • Tour itinerary - can be as general or as specific as can be. It kind of tells the Japanese embassy what your plans are - like places to visit or stay in - during your trip.
Let me remind you all, though, that these documents where what we needed as tourists going to Japan on our own - that is, not as part of a group or sponsored tour. I think that there are some documents necessary for those who are joining such.

Well, I hope I was of help. Till next blog!

#DestinationNippon: We were [almost not] off to Japan!


I’m actually embarrassed to say that I own a blog, but I hadn’t actually updated it for the longest time!!! In fact, when I opened this, I saw that my last post was after my mom had died in 2015. Since then, I’ve always said, “I’ll write about this,” but quite couldn’t muster up enough energy to do so even if I always had an idea of what to write about.

This time, though, I was determined to write a series of articles about our trip to Japan. Why? Because I 💓💓💓 our Japan trip, and I would like my memories to be etched not only in photos but in my blog where I can write more about things we saw, felt, tasted… This can also serve as a sort of reference for anyone who wants to go on a tour, or just as simple reading material for anyone who wants to know about what we did and experienced in the Land of the Rising Sun.

First off, let me tell you that we almost didn’t make it to Japan. We were really and originally aiming to go to Tokyo Disneyland in December, because we wanted to experience cold weather. It didn’t matter if there was snow or not, as long as it was colder than in the Philippines. Disneyland sounded fun too for someone like me who grew up watching Disney, although I haven’t really grown in height and I keep watching Disney movies … My husband C also wanted to celebrate his 50th birthday abroad, as well as the 12th birthday of my niece Kaye, whom we've been raising as our own. 

So we started planning early enough, around June (if I remember right)… But when I started scouting for how much Disneyland would cost, and the schedule, I always kept running across articles that said December would be the peak of the peak seasons and that schedules were full.

Disheartened, we thought of Hongkong Disneyland… But we didn’t know how long the violence in the streets would last and feared for our safety, so we turned our sights to Singapore’s Universal Studios. I got in touch with a former colleague who is now SG-based and asked for an itinerary.

At one of the kiosks
during the Klook event
Suddenly my husband said we would be going to Japan. Someone had told him that I might have seen such articles or full bookings because it was too early, and that I should try at a closer date, say three months ahead. So I got in touch with my high school classmate’s travel agency and asked if it was possible, and I was told yes!

We also decided to go to Universal Studios in Osaka for our plan B. And then, lo and behold, our original plan of a three- to four-day vacation turned out to be seven days, and we decided to do both Osaka and Tokyo.

We got excited with this!
This got me moving on the planning. I asked the travel agency for an itinerary in Osaka, and then Tokyo. But then we decided to attend a Klook Travel Fest at the World Trade Center. We went on a Saturday and looked at the countries with packages, asked a few questions, and grabbed some brochures. Upon returning home I looked some more through the brochures and website for Japan and marked a few, then convinced my husband to return the next day to book personally so that I could ask questions first.

On Sunday, we did return to the World Trade Center. While I was asking some questions about booking, the assistant said they would be having a big sale at around noontime but with limited slots. So we decided to stick around. We carefully finalized the selections of the packages I was considering and added them to my cart. With credit card details ready and typed in, I waited for the sale time – and when it came, all I had to do was click buy and – voila! The big discount (more than P12,000) was effected.

Hooray! This was our first sign that yes – we would finally be going to Japan! 

And our tour would be DIY. What a learning, adventurous experience it would turn out to be!

(Next: Requirements to complete)