Michi Photostory

Today is the last day of my son’s periodical exam so I have time to blog again. Hello, sembreak! Last week, I shared about Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers in Indonesia and this reminded me that I haven’t blogged about my Birthday Staycation at Sheraton Manila last August. We splurged on our food trip at Yurakuen Japanese Restaurant in Diamond Hotel but we saved a lot on my birthday staycation.

Read: Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers in Indonesia 

Hubby was back from Bandung, the fourth populous city in Indonesia. He’s been to Bandung several times already but this was the first time that he did not travel by land. He used to fly to Jakarta and then travel to Bandung for 3-5 hours depending on the traffic. But during his last visit, he took the plane because he has an unused Manila-Singapore-Manila round trip ticket. If you've read my post, he canceled his Singapore trip last July when my sister-in-law was confined in the hospital.

Manila to Singapore via Philippine Airlines 
Singapore to Bandung, Indonesia via Silkair 

The only downside of his trip was the long layover in Changi Airport. Good thing that Singapore Airport has one of the best airports in the world so he has something to do while waiting. I will share on a separate post, the Things that You Can Do During a Layover at Changi Airport.

Travel time from Singapore to Bandung is less than two hours so matagal din. My husband prefers flying to Jakarta and land traveling to Bandung. He recently discovered that there is a train from Jakarta to Bandung and vice versa; the travel time is 3 hours.

Read: How to Get to Jakarta to Bandung via Train

Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers 

My husband stayed at Mercure before but this time he stayed at Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers. It is a five-star hotel that is perfect for a family staycation, retreat, and even business traveler. It is thirty minutes away from Husein Sastranegara Airport and a few minutes away from the business district, shopping center and some tourist spots.


When my husband told me that he will stay at Sheraton, I immediately checked his hotel and I noticed some similarity to Saujana Hotel and Resort in Malaysia. Guests will love the scenery and the kids will enjoy feeding the rabbit and horseback riding activities. Aside from that, Bandung has cooler temperature throughout the year so parang Baguio lang na malamig pa rin kahit summer.



This is the Deluxe room, as expected the room is spacious, clean and pretty just like other Sheraton Hotels. This is the seventh Sheraton Hotels that my husband tried and this reminds me that I haven’t blogged about our Sheraton Manila Staycation.

Read: Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons 
Sheraton Hanoi Hotel
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel 
Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel 
Sheraton Towers Singapore 
Sheraton Manila
Sheraton Manila Bay




Sheraton knows how to spoil their loyal guests, when my husband entered the room, there are a notecard and welcome snacks waiting for him.


What I like in Sheraton Hotel is the feather bed and comfortable pillows and duvet na parang lagi mo gustong matulog. What I don’t like is, not all hotel rooms have a bathtub. Sheraton Bandung offers fitness center, outdoor pool, spa, restaurant, and lounge.

The room package includes buffet breakfast for two at Feast. According to my husband, the buffet spread is good and madami choices, you can eat local and international cuisine.








Overall, my husband had a good stay at Sheraton Bandung, you can always expect the usual Sheraton hospitality.

Read: Where to Stay in Jakarta Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge
Premier Lounge in Jakarta International Airport 

Update March 2020

Last year, I mentioned that you can go to Bandung, Indonesia via car, plane, and train but just this month, my husband traveled to Bandung via train. He was back in Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers and this time, he was upgraded to a room with a pool view. They gave a complimentary dessert and a personal notecard.

Booking for our accommodation in Copenhagen, Denmark was so easy so I thought I wouldn’t have any problem with our accommodation in Stockholm Sweden. But I spoke too soon because I had a hard time looking for a place to stay in Stockholm. It took me days to research, read reviews and inquire. I searched for an apartment, hostel, and even budget hotel sa dami ng nasearch ko, umabot ng 3 pages ang list ko.

Sa stress ko parang gusto ko na lang mag-extend sa Copenhagen but unfortunately, we already had a train ticket from Copenhagen to Stockholm so we need to go to Sweden. It is so easy to book accommodation but of course, we need to check the location, facilities, amenities, price, and even reviews to make sure that we will have a comfortable stay.

Read: 4 Days in Copenhagen Denmark with Kid 

I had a hard time because our trip fell on Holy Week so the majority of the hotels, hostels, and apartments that I’ve checked were all fully booked. My other concerns are some accommodation has no private bathroom, no common kitchen, no elevator, no window and some do not have good reviews.

My only choice is Generator Stockholm but I was hesitant to book this because there is no guest kitchen, bringing food and drinks are not allowed and I’ve read one review that they had a hard time sleeping because of the noise coming from the bar. I just informed my mom about it, I slept and promised myself that I would continue my research the following day so we could have more options.


When I woke up, I was surprised when my mom told me that she already booked a room at Generator Stockholm. Waah! Nagmamadali? Even though she already booked our room, I still continued my research until I gave up. I stopped searching because I no longer want to waste my time and I need to plan for our Scandinavian trip.

Hotel Generator Stockholm Review

We settled at the Hotel Generator Stockholm. Generator Hotel started in the year 1995, Louise and Kingsley Duffy opened their first hostel in Bloomsbury London. In the year 2002, they expanded their hostel in Berlin and now, they have branches across Europe such as Dublin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Madrid, and Stockholm. This year, they already have a branch outside Europe; they have a Miami branch in the U.S.A.

Generator Stockholm is a two-star hotel that was established in the year 2012. It is located in Torsgatan 10 which is just near Stockholm Central Station, Arlanda Express, museum, theater, bars, and palace. In my mind, it was really near but I was shocked when I learned that we needed to walk for more or less one kilometer from Stockholm Central Station so we took a taxi just to reach Generator Stockholm.


Check-in time is 2PM and we arrived past 6PM. The line was long so it took us several minutes of waiting before we could check in. Cash payment is not allowed so make sure that you have an international credit card. We paid SEK4973 for four nights + 150 SEK for 3 towels (my mom brought her own towel). Unfortunately, towels are not included in our room package.

Private Quadruple Room

Last March. we were supposed to book the family room but it was no longer available so we chose the Private Quad or Quadruple room. It is good for a small family or group of friends. It can only accommodate 4 persons and there is no more room for an extra bed. The room has a private bathroom, full-length mirror, bench, and storage area.



I’m happy because even though we booked a two-star hotel, the room looks good naman. It is clean and we have enough space to move around. Our bed, pillow, and duvet are all clean and comfy. We have our own power sockets, bedside lamps, and hooks. There is a storage box under the bed so don’t forget to bring your own lock so you can store your stuff there.

Bathroom

The bathroom is small. It only provides toilet paper and body soap. There is a bidet but no hairdryer and I’m not sure if it is available upon request, we did not ask for it kasi nga yung towel may bayad e. hehehe! The red door leads you to the bathroom.

What I don’t like is there is no switch for light; they are using motion sensor light. So if they don’t detect any movement, the light will turn off. What I don’t understand is, kahit may movement ka naman kasi nga naliligo pero namamatay din every 30 seconds or 1 minute. So I kept waving my hand just to turn on the light again. Ang hassle.



Generator Stockholm offers free wifi. They have luggage storage, a safe at the reception, cafe, restaurant, bar or lounge area, laundry facilities, and a small travel shop. As I’ve said before, they do not have a common kitchen and you cannot bring outside foods and drinks so we have no choice but to eat outside. There is no reason to be hungry because they have a cafe/restaurant/bar in the lobby area. There are also convenience stores, fast-food, and restaurants within the area.

view from our room

Laundry Room

Since we’ve been traveling for so long, we ran out of clothes so we washed some of our clothes in Stockholm. You need to go to the reception to get the tokens so you can use the washing machine and dryer. One load is SEK65; Wash SEK25, Dry SEK25, and Detergent 15SEK.


I was reading some reviews about Generator Stockholm and one of the complaints is noise. So when my mom told me that we were on the second floor, I was a little bit worried. Good thing that we did not hear any noise and we had a sound sleep for our 4-day stay in the hotel.


Other things that I like about Generator Stockholm

1. 7-11 is just in front of the hotel so if we need food and drinks, we can just cross the street.
2. Stockholm Pass is available so we bought our Stockholm Card at the hotel.
3. If you want to join the FREE Stockholm Tour, the meeting place is in the lobby.

Check-out time is 10AM but we left at 6AM, this time we did not take a taxi. We just walked from Generator Stockholm to Stockholm Central Station with our luggage. We’re going back to Oslo, Norway via SJ train.

Read: Day 1 in Stockholm Sweden

We went to Festival Mall to replace my son’s eyeglasses and for his post-birthday celebration. On our way to Starfinder Optical, may pa FREE taste si Bakers Maison so we tried some samples and because of that, we bought some bread before going home. Okay din na strategy ang pafree taste, ilang beses na rin ko napagastos after ko tumikim ng free taste. Hehehe!

I’m not sure kung kelan pa sila nasa Festival Mall but it was my first time to try their bread. Bakers Maison is from New South Wales, Australia and it was established in 1998 so matagal na rin pala. While buying breads, we noticed the staff preparing some cookies and my husband said parang frozen yung mga product nila. I searched about it and my husband was correct, all bread of Bakers Maison are delivered frozen to the store, all breads are partially baked and they will finish the baking process at the store.


We bought White Bread PHP68, Coffee Cream Cheese PHP55, Cheese Royale Croissant PHP60, Butter Croissant PHP45 and Buy 1 Take 1 of Luscious Dates and Walnuts Loaf at PHP150. Good thing that I checked my receipt kasi 2 Cheese Royale Croissant yung nilagay nung staff, sayang PHP15 ko.

Yung Coffee Cream Cheese Bun ang natry ko sa free taste so I bought one. I like the combination of coffee flavor and cream cheese. For Cheese Royale and Butter Croissant, the taste is almost the same. It is light and flaky, the only difference is may konting cheese yung isa na nasa dulo naman, so I rather buy Butter Croissant.

If you notice, I kept on buying croissant now kasi hinahanap-hanap ni hubby yung croissant na kinain namin nung nag-Scandinavian tour kami. Kaso hindi pa rin daw kalasa so I guess, iba talaga ang bread sa Europe. To think na sa 7-11 (Sweden and Norway) lang namin binili yung ibang croissant. Hehehe!

We love their white bread, if Gardenia Philippines ang gumagawa nito, sana ganun din bread nila. Namimiss ko yung mabango, malambot at kahit walang palaman na Gardenia. If Bakers Maison is just near in our place, ito na magiging weekly bread namin. I gave one Luscious Dates and Walnuts Loaf to my mother-in-law but she said, okay lang lasa. But my husband and I love it, kahit hindi ako mahilig sa dates, naappreciate ko siya. On our next visit to Festival Mall, I will buy their bread again.

It’s been months since our last visit to Solenad so we went there last week habang walang klase because of Nationwide Strike. We were looking for a birthday gift for my son and my son and I need a haircut, may pasok kasi siya nung nagpagupit daddy niya. After our haircut, we’re contemplating where to eat; I want to try new restaurant sana kasi nasa Solenad na kami so for sure marami na bago but my husband wanted Pepper Lunch.

On our way to Pepper Lunch, I noticed na closed na yung The Farm Organics. Ang sad naman kasi last year lang kami kumain doon tapos sarado na. Anyway, ever since we ate at Pepper Lunch, it became one of our go-to restaurants. We’ve visited different branches already such as Alabang Town Center, Shangri La, Southwoods Mall, and Solenad. 

My default order is Big Ribeye Steak or Pepper Steak but starting this year, I try not to order steak para mas tipid and I can also try other dishes. I’ve tried Beef Yakinuku before and it is too sweet for my taste. Last week, we ordered Teriyaki Beef with Egg PHP330 and Meet Trio Deluxe PHP340.



Pepper Lunch meals are a little bit expensive but for me, it is worth it because they have big servings and the food tastes good. I always have a hard time finishing my order so pag kasama ko anak ko, lagi kami share. We will just order a bowl of extra rice. I like the Meat Trio Deluxe because we were able to try beef slices, hamburg and chicken steak. Para kaming nagbuffet ng anak ko. Hehehe! Next time, I will try the other Combo Specials.

P.S. One thing I like in Solenad is there is no parking fee so you can shop, eat and play without additional parking expenses. But sad to say that starting October 15, 2019, may parking fee na.

First 15 minutes FREE
Cars PHP20
Motorcycles PHP15
Overnight Parking PHP200

A few months ago, we applied for Landers Membership and since then we’ve been going to Landers every month. So we shop, eat and my two boys will have their haircut. Sayang din kasi yung FREE haircut for member and PHP150 lang for non-member. Again, it is a big saving for us so doon pa lang, sulit na yung membership fee.

Read: Shopping at Landers Superstore Alabang

Last month, my husband and I went to Landers; we left past 6AM and travel time is supposed to be less than one hour but because of the traffic situation in SLEX, we arrived before 8AM. If there is no Carmageddon issue in SLEX, kahit 8AM na kami umalis sa bahay. Sad to say, we have to deal with this traffic until the last quarter of 2020.

Doppio 

We’re the first customers at the parking area so naghintay lang kami sa car because 9AM pa opening. While waiting, I saw some customers na nakakapasok na sa Landers so we got off and went to the store. We can go inside na pala because their coffee shop is already open. So we went to “Doppio” and I was surprised that they have But 1 Get 1 promo for all coffee, all ice cream and all pastry products.




We ordered Chocolate Chip Muffin PHP59 and Ice Mocha Latte PHP119, so we paid PHP178 only which is good for two persons. The muffin is big so we take out the other muffin for my son. Hehehe! This is one thing I like in Landers, kasi may promo sila sa coffee shop and food central nila.

Landers Central 

Aside from the coffee shop, they have food central too where you can eat pizza, pasta, chicken, hotdog, burger, fries, salad, and desserts. It is similar to S&R na self-service; you get your own drinks, condiments and clean as you go.


I noticed that every time we visit, they always have a promo. Last June, we took advantage of the “Birthday month promo” where we can buy one whole pizza for PHP400 and may hotdog promo din sila na nakalimutan ko na price. Hehehe!


So far we have tried their pizza, pasta, fries, hotdog, rice meals and others.

When my son was 3 years old, I started asking him what he wanted for his birthday. Since he is our only child, we try to fulfill his wishes as long as we can. We’re fortunate that my son doesn’t like a grand birthday party so it is a big saving for us. Last month, I asked him where are we going to celebrate his birthday and he said “sa bahay lang”.


At first, I did not believe him yet because baka magbago na naman ang isip niya so I was still planning for a birthday staycation so we can have a weekend getaway. Since my son is hitting 11 years old, it will also be the last year na free pa siya sa mga hotel staycation namin, next time hindi na. So I was just taking advantage of it habang breakfast pa lang ang bayad niya. Hehehe!

I was reminiscing how we celebrated his birthday for the last decade.

1st birthday - We invited immediate family and friends and we had a small party at Mcdonald’s Alabang Town Center. I think I only invited 50 persons and hindi pa nga nakapunta lahat kasi ang layo ng Alabang.

2nd birthday - We went to Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin. We went there before his actual birthday para FREE pa yung airfare niya. It was my son’s first airplane and boat ride experience.

Read: 2 Days in Camiguin 

3rd birthday - We went to Ark Avilon Zoo, Fun Ranch and Enchanted Kingdom.

Read: Ark Avilon Zoo and Fund Ranch
Enchanted Kingdom 

For his 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th birthday - we had theme parties. We celebrated his 4th and 5th birthday in school. At that time, pwede pa magcelebrate sa school but when we transferred him to a big a school, bawal ang birthday party sa school so we celebrated his 6th and 7th birthday at home.

Read: 4th birthday - Car’s Birthday Party
5th birthday - Mickey Mouse Party
6th birthday - Mario Birthday Party
7th birthday - Little Chef Party  

His 7th birthday is the start of his birthday staycation celebration. We celebrated it in The Manila Hotel, EDSA Shangri la, Makati Shangri la and Sofitel Club Millesime Manila. I was expecting nga na pati 11th birthday niya but I guess I have to accept the fact that my son is now a tween so there are few changes na.

Read: 7th birthday at The Manila Hotel
8th birthday at EDSA Shangri la Hotel
9th birthday at Makati Shangri la Hotel
10th birthday at Sofitel Club Millesime Manila 

Happy birthday to my favorite son who made me a parent 11 years ago. The first 11 years have been memorable and incredible and looking forward to more years with you. I miss my baby Ethan but I’m happy seeing what a wonderful person you are turning out to be.

Ang anak ko na hindi mahilig sa birthday party.
Ang anak ko na ayaw magtravel dahil ayaw umabsent sa school.
Ang anak ko na ayaw na ng birthday staycation.
I wish sana hanggang pagtanda para tipid. Hehehe!

We had a simple 11th birthday celebration. My son doesn’t want to be absent from school so we just bought a birthday cake. My husband bought my son’s birthday wish “Nintendo Switch”. I remember last year, plan namin siya bilhan ng Playstation pero buti na lang hindi natuloy kasi mas gusto pala niya ng Nintendo Switch. The only problem is, ang mahal pala ng Nintendo Games. As in, libo pala presyo nito.


We also ate at All 4 U Unlimited Grill & Shabu Shabu because my son wanted to eat there. I was suggesting other eat-all-you-can restaurants pero ito ang gusto niya. After our food trip, I asked him, bakit gusto niya sa All4U and he said “Ice Cream”. Waah! Ice cream lang pala, e pwede naman kami bumili sa grocery nun. Hehehe!

Read: All 4 U Unlimited Grill & Shabu Shabu 

Four years ago, we renewed our passports at the same time so we could take advantage of the family application. At that time, there was a separate lane for a single application and for family applications/senior citizens so we were able to renew our passports in 45 minutes at DFA-NCR South. But DFA already changed their policy and system so it feels like the first time again.

Last year, my husband renewed his passport earlier than us because he only has a few pages left and it took me a long time to schedule an appointment, you can read the story here. Then this year, it is time for us (me and my son) to renew our passports so last month, I tried the courtesy lane but unfortunately, the DFA staff did not allow my 10-year-old son to renew his passport (adult companion lang ang pwede +1 ng PWD), you can read the story here.

I was disappointed but I had no choice but to book an appointment for my son. So after I renewed my passport via the Courtesy Lane, I’ve been checking the available schedule on DFA website but the earliest Saturday schedule is September 21. My son doesn’t want to be absent from school so I need a Saturday schedule. Fortunately, when I checked DFA website at past 6PM, I saw a slot for Saturday, I grabbed it even though the only available time was 5-6PM.


Booking an appointment is so easy, there are just a few changes because this time I have to pay the Passport fee before I can confirm the Passport Appointment. I remember this was implemented last year; a few months after my husband renewed his passport. It is additional stress and expense because you cannot pay online, I have to go to Bayad Center just to pay the Passport fee + PHP50 convenience fee.

How to Book and Pay for Your DFA Passport Appointment Online 

1. Go to DFA site https://www.passport.gov.ph/appointment
2. Check the box “I have read and understood the instructions and information on this page… ”
3. Choose an Individual appointment or Group Appointment

“Please be reminded that any incorrect information that is inputted in this application form may result in delay in your application and that misrepresentation on your part may be considered grounds for refusal/cancellation of your application.”

4. Choose your preferred site

a. Angeles (Marquee Mall)
b. Bacolod
c. Baguio
d. Butuan
e. Cagayan de Oro
f. Calasiao
g. Cebu
h. Cotabato
i. DFA Manila (ASEANA)
j. DFA NCR East (Megamall)
k. DFA NCR North (Robinsons Novaliches)
l. DFA NCR North East (Ali Mall)
m. DFA NCR South (Alabang)
n. DFA NCR West (SM Manila)
o. Davao
p. Dumaguete
q. General Santos
r. Iloilo
s. La Union
t. Legazpi
u. Pampanga (Robinsons Starmills)
v. Puerto Princesa
w. Tacloban
x. Tuguegarao
y. Zamboanga

5. Choose your preferred date and time. Since I chose DFA NCR South, they have 8 schedules from 10AM to 6PM.  But the only available was 5-6PM.

6. Fill out the form and submit

- Personal Information
- Family Information
- Application Information
- Contact Information

7. Choose the processing type

Since I booked a Saturday schedule, I only have one choice and it is Express Processing for PHP 1200

Express Processing (P1200)
6 Working days for Aseana and Consular Offices within Metro Manila
7 Working Days for Consular Offices outside Metro Manila

8. Click Pay Now and there is a pop-up box

Payment Confirmation

Please be reminded of the following

* Processing fee must be settled within 24 hours upon receipt of the Reference Number. Your bank may not be available on weekends and holidays.
* Amount indicated is exclusively for the payment of the Passport Processing Fee
* Your chosen mode of payment may charge a convenience fee.
* The processing fee is not refundable. Applicants are advised to appear on their scheduled appointment.

9. Click I Agree, Proceed to payment

Then you will see the General Guidelines for your payment.

Pay in cash to Bayad Center Outlets (USSC, 7-11, ECPay, Robinsons, Pera Hub, True Money, Cebuana, etc.) or download Bayad Center Mobile App. A PHP50 Convenience Fee will be added.

10. I checked my email “DFA Passport Appointment System - Payment Reference” to get my reference number for the payment.

11. Pay for the fee.

The following day, my husband went to the nearest Bayad Center pero hindi pa daw sila tumatanggap ng ganoong payment and sinabihan siya sa LBC daw siya magbayad. So my husband paid at LBC, PHP1250

12. Check email

When my husband went home, I immediately check my email “DFA Passport Appointment System - Confirmation Notification”. I downloaded and printed the documents from the confirmation email.

YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CONFIRMED YOUR PASSPORT APPOINTMENT BOOKING.

1. Print all the attached documents in A4-size paper. Click [here] to download your application form. (Your PC needs to have a suitable PDF reader installed such as Adobe Reader or Foxit Reader in order to view the downloaded file.)
2. Bring the printed application form, e-receipt, and checklist along with all the necessary support documents (and photocopies thereof) on the date of your appointment. The application form will be scanned at the passport site. Be aware that you may be refused entry if you fail to bring the system-generated application form.

Requirements Needed for Passport Renewal (Minor) 

1. Confirmed Online Appointment
2. Personal appearance
3. Printed application form
4. E-receipt from the confirmation email
5. Current passport and photocopy of the data page.
6. Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Birth Certificate
7. Marriage Certificate is required if only one parent is accompanying the child

- If parents are unmarried, an Affidavit of Support and/or Consent executed by the Mother will be required if she is not accompanying the child.
- If Affidavit of Support and/or Consent is executed abroad, it must be authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate.

8. Passport or Valid Government issued ID of either parent with one (1) photocopy
9. School ID (if applicable)

Read: 3 Ways to Get PSA Documents
How to Renew your Passport via DFA Courtesy Lane

I have tried different ways on how to apply and renew my passport. I’ve tried the walk-in process at DFA-Pasay, travel agency and online appointment. A few years ago, I learned about the DFA Courtesy Lane so last month I took advantage of it. If you are a senior citizen, PWD, solo parent, pregnant, minor, and OFW, you don’t need an appointment. You can just go to the DFA office and apply or renew your passport.

NO APPOINTMENT IS NEEDED for the following applicants in the Philippines:

SENIOR CITIZEN and one (1) travel companion
PERSON WITH DISABILITY (PWDs) and one (1) travel companion
SOLO PARENT and his/her minor children
PREGNANT WOMEN
MINORS SEVEN (7) YEARS OLD AND BELOW and his/her parents and minor siblings OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS (land-based, or seafarers)

Read: How to Apply for PWD ID in the Philippines

Photo from Freepik

So last month, my son and I went to DFA-NCR South (Metro Department Store) to renew our passports. We were there before 9AM, the Metro Supermarket opened at 9AM. There are lines for Courtesy Lane, 10AM and 11AM appointment. So we fell in line at the Courtesy Lane and the guard gave us a number. I’m not sure if there is a limit per day for the Courtesy Lane so just to make sure, we arrived before the opening time.


At 10AM, the guard advised us to go up to the DFA office. There are separate chairs for senior citizens and for a group of PWD, pregnant, solo parent, minor and others. While waiting, the DFA staff give out forms. To make my life easier, I already filled-out and printed our forms at home. You can download the forms here.

New Regular Passport Application Form 
Renewal Regular Passport Application Form
Regular Passport Application Form for Minor 

Those with scheduled appointments went inside already, then sinisingit per row ang nasa courtesy lane. The guard checked our bags and documents and informed us to go to INFORMATION.

Information Counter 

We proceeded to the Information Counter, the staff checked our documents. She asked for some information and then she advised me that my 10-yr old son is not allowed to renew. I was surprised because I know that I am allowed to bring one travel companion. But the staff insisted na adult companion lang daw ang pwede for PWD. Kung may kasama pa daw ako na 7yrs old below, pwede daw magrenew ang anak ko na 10 yrs old.

I was so disappointed because 

1. I am allowed to bring one travel companion pero adult companion lang daw. So asawa ko pwede pero hindi pwede anak ko. Immediate family member naman anak ko.
2. Pwede lang anak ko magrenew kung may kasama pa ako na anak na 7yrs old. (e only child lang ang anak ko)
3. So kung 7 years old ang minor, ano definition nila ng adult children? Kawawa naman ang 8 yrs old to 17 years old kung sasabihin nila sa akin na 18 years old ang adult children.
4. No use ang courtesy lane sa akin kasi babalik din ako para magparenew ng passport ng anak ko. Dobleng pagod pa.

I can’t blame the staff because she is just following the policy na hindi ko alam na ADULT COMPANION or CHILDREN lang. But now I know because I researched about it, pagkalabas na pagkalabas ng ko DFA office. So lesson learned, I will just book an appointment next time and read more information. Pero sana baguhin nila policy nila na pwede + 1 basta immediate family member. 

People with disabilities (PWDs) with proof of disability o PWD is allowed one (1) companion 

1. The companion of the PWD must be an immediate family member, i.e. spouse, siblings, adult children, adult grandchildren, parents-in-law, and children-in-law of the PWD and must show proof of relationship.
2. If the companion is not an immediate family member, the companion has to show proof of travel arrangements (e.g. confirmed plane or hotel booking) with the PWD to be able to avail of the courtesy lane facility.

For more information, read the details here. Based on my experience, hindi ko binasa yung buong article, nung nakita na PWD + 1 travel companion, naniwala na agad ako without checking the conditions.  Anyway, since nandun na rin ako, tinuloy ko na rin kaysa sayang punta namin. So sinamahan ako ng anak ko para sa pagpaparenew ng passport and sasamahan ko siya next time.

After the Information Counter, the staff informed me to go to Step 1.

Step 1 - Processing 

Requirements for Passport Renewal (Adult) 

1. Confirmed Online Appointment
2. Accomplished Application Form
3. Personal Appearance
4. Current ePassport with a photocopy of the data page
5. Original PSA authenticated documents that will support the change of name.
- Marriage Contract
- Annotated Birth Certificate
- Annotated Marriage Contract to show annulment/divorce/court-ordered instruction
- Death Certificate of Spouse

Read: 3 Ways to Get PSA Documents

NOTE: If a woman opts to retain the maiden name, a Marriage Contract is not required.
*Additional requirements may be required.

I submitted the following 

Accomplished Application Form 
Photocopy of Current ePassport Bio Page 
Photocopy of Valid ID 

Step 2 - Payment 

It was Saturday so all applications are Express Processing; I paid P1200

Step 3 - Photo

There is a separate line for the courtesy lane so I’m done at 11:08AM. I chose pick-up so I have no idea about the delivery fee. I applied September 7, 2019 and I can claim my passport on September 19, 2019. It is supposed to be 7 Days Processing lang since Express ang binayad ko but I guess hindi naman nasusunod so it is better to apply early if you really need the passport.

Read: How to Book and Pay for your DFA Passport Appointment Online

September 27, 2019 

I did not claim my passport on the scheduled date para isang pagod na lang. Hinintay ko yung release date ng anak ko which is September 26, 2019. And para sure, the following day ko na kinuha.

1. I gave our receipts and wait for my name to be called.
2. The staff gave us our passports and I checked all the data on our new passport.
3. I went back to the counter and the staff canceled our old passports.
4. I filled out a form (Passport No., Name, Contact No, and Signature)

I claimed our passports in 5 minutes.


Important Reminders on the Releasing of Passport

1. Check the estimated passport release date on the receipt.
2. Bring the receipt and the old passport for cancellation on the release date.
3. Check all the data on the received e-passport upon release.
4. Affix signature on the space provided on the newly claimed passport to avoid problems at the entry/exit points when traveling abroad.
5. Only immediate family members are allowed to get the passport on behalf of the applicant. Immediate family members include father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, and children of legal age.
6. Passport shall be released to an immediate family member only with a proper authorization letter, and valid IDS (with photocopies) of the applicant and the representative with Special Power of Attorney and Affidavit of Support and Consent.
7. The passport of the minor applicant shall be released only to parents (PSA Marriage Certificate is required if the father will claim the minor’s passport) or to an authorized representative with Special Power of Attorney or Affidavit of Support and Consent and photocopy of IDs of the passport holder and the authorized agent.
8. Passports unclaimed after six months will be canceled per Department Order No. 37-03