Yesterday, I made my yearly trek to the Bureau of Immigration to file the annual report. This is a requirement that all permanent residents in the Philippines must put up with. Admittedly, it's
not a complicated procedure. You go to the BI branch of your choice where you submit your
passport and I-card at the designated window to the officer who then gives you a voucher which you then take to
the cashier where you make your payment of P310, get your official receipt, and you're done. But just having to fulfill this obligation is still an inconvenience.
Further, the BI now requires an appointment for just about all services and at all its offices. No more walk-ins. So
I went there with an appointment number in hand. Yet it turned out that filers were once again being processed on first come first serve basis.
This kind of switch is irritating because when an appointment the system is in place, then the
departments using it should adhere to it accordingly rather than
arbitrarily and without notice switching back to FCFS. Fortunately, I was the first one in the door, so I was finished in short order. And of course getting in and out early meant having the rest of the day to enjoy.
Yet in this digital era, especially with the COVID pandemic still at large,
it's beyond me why the annual report can't just be filed and paid online. Considering the convenience this would extend to the those who have to go through this hassle, not to mention the time and manpower that it would save for the BI, automation would benefit just about everyone concerned.
For further information regarding the annual report, including setting appointments with the BI, click here.
