Drivers License Renewal at LTO Satellite Offices in Malls

My drivers license is about to expire, so I decided to have it renewed way before the expiration date. Driving without a valid drivers license is a violation with penalty amounting to 1,500 pesos (as of 2012). I'm renewing my driving license as soon as possible since being a government-issued ID, this can be used as proof of identity.

Inside the LTO Satellite Office in SM North

Good thing, the Land Transportation Office now have satellite offices in malls, which makes renewal of drivers license easier and faster. Last time (which was three years ago), I went to their kiosk in SM North Edsa for my renewal. The satellite office was located at the far end of the warehouse-like building which used to house the former SuperSale Club (I feel really old while typing the words Super Sale Club, haha!) Anyway, the LTO satellite office relocated to the newly-built NorthLink building in SM North, making it more accessible from people coming from EDSA. The new location is also much nearer to SM Carpark, adding to the convenience for people should they decide to bring their car.

Although my previous experience with drivers license renewal was "hassle-free", there's this one thing that I don't really enjoy -- drug test. No, not that I'm a drug user. I just think its not really needed and this drug test requirement is slowing the whole process of drivers license renewal. Good thing, this drug test is no longer required when renewing drivers license. Finally! I called the LTO Main Office in East Avenue to verify this and the guy who answered the call confirmed. As of last week, drug test is no longer required for drivers license renewal.

This will bring down the drivers license renewal cost, since drug testing (I think) is usually around 200-400 pesos. I then proceeded to the LTO office in SM North Edsa for my drivers license renewal, and I'm listing here the steps on how to renew the drivers license in LTO satellite offices in malls.

What to bring:

• Old Drivers License
• Pen
• Cash (150 pesos for medical exam, 420 pesos for license renewal)

Step 1 (you may skip this)
Go to the LTO Satellite Office. Proceed to Window 1 and show your old license. You will be told to go to the adjacent clinic for medical clearance.

The Problem With Philippine Standard Time

A new law setting the Philippine Standard Time has been signed by President Benigno Aquino III last May 15. The law, known as The Philippine Standard Time (PST) Act of 2013 is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 3284 and House Bill No. 164 which was passed by the Senate and House of Representatives last February 4. Aside from setting the Philippine Standard Time, the new law assigns the first week of the year as the "National Time Consciousness Week".

This means that all national and local government offices is mandated to display the Philippine Standard Time on their official time devices, bundy clocks included. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) is tasked to be the official time source and will maintain the time standard. All government offices shall coordinate with Pagasa at least once a month to synchronize their official time devices.

I checked the website of DOST to see what the official time is, and this is what I got:

Time difference at around two and a half minutes (click to enlarge)

Since it's just a minimal difference, I thought I would look around for the Pagasa timeserver. However, I came across this one: http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/wb/timeserver.html

Uhm, I'm pretty sure its still morning (click to enlarge)

Anyway, growing pains. The law will take effect after 15 days its publication in Official Gazette / 2 newspapers of general circulation, so maybe we should just wait.

* I found the official time of UP, synchronized with other time servers in the world. http://time.upd.edu.ph/

How To Get A Philippine Passport

Machine-Readable Philippine Passport

Aside from the Driver's License, the Philippine Passport is one the most useful government issued ID in the Philippines. Being valid for five years, it is practical to get a passport long before you actually need it. Here are the steps to get your very own Philippine passport.

Steps in Obtaining Philippine Passport

1. Get your birth certificate from the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The NSO birth certificate is printed in secpa (security paper). You may either visit the NSO Office (East Avenue) or call their hotline at (02) 737-1111 to get your birth certificate. No, they won't honor your

2. Prepare valid identification cards (IDs). 

All government-issued IDs may be accepted, which includes drivers license, SSS ID, BIR (TIN) ID, PRC. For students, also bring your School ID. Bring additional supporting documents, or any other documents that have your full name, home address, and date of birth.

Valid Supporting Documents for Passport Application

• Marriage Contract
• Government Service Record
• School Record - Form 137
• Transcript of Records with Dry Seal of School
• Voters Registration Records from Comelec
• Baptismal Certificate with Dry Seal
• Seaman's Book
• NBI Clearance
• Income Tax Return from BIR

LTO Verification of Vehicle Registration via SMS

A vehicle registration verification system in LTO through SMS has been running since 2008. You can now verify the registration of any vehicle as long as you have the plate number. Below is the guide on how to check and verify the car registration through txt.