NBI Clearance Headaches – the expat route

Since I’ve been in the country for more than six months, one of my Visa requirements for the Bureau of Immigration was to get an NBI Clearance.

Not knowing what an NBI Clearance was and how to obtain it, I decided to google it in hopes of finding the government website.

My search for “NBI Clearance” brought me to website https://www.nbi-clearance.com. I was quite concerned that this wasn’t a “.gov.ph” site. Further investigation revealed this is a legit NBI site for online application and there are guides available with step by step processes on how to fill in the online form (note: for locals).

As a Foreigner, I can still use the online application form, but there is one CRUCIAL detail missing if you’ve come straight to this form. All foreigners must process their application at the main processing centre located on United Nations Ave in Manila. 

Wouldn’t it be great to know this before going through Manila traffic in the opposite direction to reach the nearest processing centre only to find out after crazy queues that they can’t do anything for you? *sigh*

What I should have done first was google “NBI” instead of “NBI Clearance”, which would have taken me to the government site: https://nbi.gov.ph. (Note: the search result http://www.nbi.gov.ph doesn’t actually work or go anywhere. Which adds to the confusion since the gov.ph site was difficult for me to find).

On the home page under announcement, is a note that foreigners need to complete their applications at the main processing centre. Below it is a link that takes you to the online application form/website.

Now that we’re clear on having to do this at the main processing centre, let me give you a quick step by step on how this worked out for me.

1. Fill out the online application.
2. Payment options: I tried to do the online payment option. Sounds convenient right? Not if you’re a first timer. First you need to enrol online with your bank, which requires you to fill in a form, then go to the bank branch and submit the form where they would then enrol it online (after 2 days) before you can access it in your internet banking and pay online. Defeats the purpose doesn’t it? *sigh*
3. Other payment options: Pay at the bank branch or queue up at the clearance office with reference number handy and pay at the payment counters (this latter step is what I ultimately did since the banks were closed).
4. Once you have your official receipt, proceed to level 3 imaging and processing. (I was pregnant when doing this so I ended up on the express queue on level 4 instead). They’ll check your application and fix any errors here.
5. Once imaging is completed, head to the “Alien/Foreigner” counter on level 2. They will give you a card to fill out (both sides) and take your fingerprints. (You’ll need to bring something to wipe off the ink. There’s no soap in the toilets to help you here).
6. Return in a few days to pick up clearance at the releasing counter (or send a representative with the appropriate approvals).

Notes:

1. Make sure you bring an original and copy of your ID. In this case they wanted the photo page of my passport which I submitted with the card at the “Alien/Foreigner” counter.
2. To enter the complex, you’ll need to have your reference number handy to show security.
3. For females, they don’t allow you in if you’re wearing a sleeveless dress/top. Luckily I had my shawl in my bag so they let me in, but just keep it in mind they do maintain a dress code, though it’s not specified what that may be (I’d assume short shorts were a no no too. I was wearing long pants and a maternity dress that only exposed my shoulders and they stopped me. Flip-flops are acceptable footwear).

 

babymama.ph – Are they any good?

If you’re a new mum in the Philippines and have spent time trawling the internet for stockists of recommended brands/products for babies, you’ll probably have some difficulty. They’re either unavailable here or are being sold at exorbitant prices.

My options were to get a relative flying over to purchase the item and bring it back for me, or annoy a new found expat friend who wouldn’t mind going out of their itinerary just to pick up something on the way – which I usually avoid since I hate inconveniencing other people.

Step in babymama.ph. As all things online in this country go, I was pretty skeptical. How legit could this website be? But after looking around for alternatives and finding none that worked, I decided to give it a shot.

Ordering from them was extremely straight forward. Just add items to the cart and hit checkout. They’ll ask for basic information such as name and address (which a check-box option to create an account), and then direct you to their payment options. As usual, I went the PayPal route.

Delivery was one day around Metro Manila (for orders placed during business hours) and around three days outside of that. I paid, received email confirmation of purchase and since I’d ordered outside of business hours, I didn’t receive my shipping confirmation until the next day.

Delivery arrived the following day after, straight to my door in a bubble-wrapped package as per below.

My products were in great condition, well packaged and they even included a thank you note with return information and another with instructions on using their breast pumps (which was the reason they set up shop in the first place – to bring better quality breast pumps to new mums without the super hefty price tags).

Overall it was an easy, problem free transaction.

Some notes:

Stock runs out fast and I’m not sure how long it takes for them to restock, but there was a cream I wanted that ended up being sold out. My second choice of cream also went out of stock right after, so it does sell fast. It’s been a month and they haven’t restocked on either product yet. You can leave your email so they can contact you when stock comes in.

Pricing after factoring in convenience and delivery and currency conversions were decent for some of the items. Like all things, take time to research the different options before purchasing. An example is the milk band I bought. It’s cheaper overseas by a few dollars, but I’d need to get someone to either purchase and post to me, or fly it over. It was better just to pay a few extra dollars to purchase from babymama.ph

Delivery is based on weight and added just before payment, so you won’t see how much delivery is until you’re at the checkout.

They do have a bricks and mortar store, and appear at the baby expos, but I haven’t visited them at either of these places so I can’t comment on how they are.

Fish Balls and Baby Showers

If you remember my earlier post Baby Showers – Is there such a thing in Manila, I mentioned my church friends planning a joint one for me and another girl due around the same time.

I went in not quite sure what to expect and was met with a beautiful hybrid of Philippines and a western influence (or at least things I’m familiar with).

For starters, we had our own fishball vendor. If you’ve been in the Manila, you’d recognise these street vendors with their carts along the kerb, always surrounded by people eating skewered fishballs cooked in hot oil and dipped in a dripping glazed sauce.

It’s quite an experience, and here we had our very own to enjoy at our leisure, without the usual fast-paced ‘here’s your stick of fishballs, move aside for the next guy’, and worry of needing an iron stomach to handle it.

We also had taho (tofu with sago and sugar syrup), which is another common treat found along the streets of Manila.

Decorations, games (including one incorporating a pretend kangaroo pouch to celebrate my Aussie home), cakes and cookies (lots of sugary goodness) were all the things that were familiar and reminded me of baby showers back in Australia.

There was also pasta and I’m pretty sure you can’t go to a filipino celebration without being served pasta.

All in all, it was a beautiful and fun day. I felt really blessed, especially for someone new to the country. It made me feel more at home, and knowing I’m surrounded by such lovely people makes settling in a lot easier.

My takeaway from this experience for other expats?

Get connected.

I know it’s hard to make new friends (especially the older we get). Being the new one in a group, you find you don’t understand the inside jokes, the conversations, maybe there is language and cultural barriers, but people are patient and understanding. It’s okay to ask questions and look silly sometimes. Take the time to learn, listen and get involved. At some point, that sense of being “in the out” or being “isolated” or “the new guy” will fade.

It might not be the same as mates back home, but remember, those friendships back home probably took years to develop. It wasn’t overnight. You spent time learning and understanding each other, experiencing good and bad times (and maybe even embarrassing times) for it to become what it is now.

Don’t neglect the friendships back home, but really put in your best effort to create new ones in your new home. It makes a difference to how you experience life abroad.

Easter – Where all the Eggs gone?

Back in Australia, I’m always well aware Easter is on the way when the colourful supermarket displays start cropping up. Easter Eggs! Melt-in-your-mouth chocolatey goodness of all types, brands, and flavours. Gooey caramel centres? Solid chocolate? Milk, white, dark, marble? It’s all there.

And who can forget delicious freshly-baked ‘Hot Cross Buns’? Piping hot from the oven, with butter melting on top. Oh, the calories!

This was my first Easter in Manila and to be honest I didn’t even know it was Easter until someone said they were on holiday for Holy Week. What?

Being a country with almost 80% of the population professing the Catholic faith, it’s not surprising the focus is on Jesus and his death and resurrection. There’s different ways people choose to approach this as well. There are places where people follow strict rituals, including being whipped and carrying heavy crosses down their local streets. In other places it means feasting, pageants and celebration.

Down in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), they had an artistic and interactive version of the stations of the cross, where people were able to read information about each stage of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, had the opportunity to carry their own wooden crosses along a footpath and back, listen to live Christian music, and have their own mini-pilgrimage down the length of High Street.

All in all the focus is on Jesus Christ and not the trimmings surrounding it, although they’re nice as well (kinda like Christmas and presents). They focus on the reason why there is a Holy Week for so many people worldwide.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the Jesus focus, but I still can’t help but feel like I missed out on something here. Maybe it would’ve been nice to have one little bunny to nibble the ears off – to get lost in the world of colourful foil wrappings, and post-calorie regret after reflecting and gaining the revelation that it is indeed finished.

SM Gift Registry for newbs

To be honest, I had five things left on my baby list before the baby shower question cropped up from my last post.

I’d decided beforehand to get only the minimum basics and add things as I needed them, plus I couldn’t decide what was a gimmick and what was a necessity in this over-saturated market targeted at kids. I mean, did I really need that towel with the embroidered giraffe just for babies? Or could I get by with a *gasp* normal, everyday towel? (You bad mother, you!)

When the organisers for my baby shower asked for a gift list, I had to turn to my good old friend ‘Google’ to come up with a list with more than five items. Many were things I’d decided to get down the track. Others were a luxury or I was surprised I even needed (Waist-slimming maternity belt anyone?).

While at SM Department Store, a gentleman handed me a flyer for their gift registry incase I was “having a baby shower.” I knew places like Mothercare and Rustans had gift registries, but not SM.

I forwarded a picture of the flyer to one of the organisers and asked her if she wanted me to register since guests received a discount (who doesn’t love a discount?). It turned out they were going to register for me since my original word doc list wouldn’t cut it (hey, I tried, but they insisted they didn’t want ten pillows to show up when I’d specified a plane).

I told them I’d do it instead (so I could stop twiddling my thumbs), and wow, I think they’d be glad I did with the time I saved them.

This was my first time using a department store gift registry, and also first experience of doing so in the Philippines. I registered online hoping they’d let me build my wish list from there.

The registration asked for basic information and it only took about thirty minutes for the login to become activated.

Next, I had to create the event. Unfortunately I couldn’t pick the actual event date since it was blocked out. Apparently they usually allow a one month lee-way, so my date fell too early for their system’s liking. (They can choose the earlier date if they do it in-store for you. My work-around was to pick the wrong date, since everyone knew the right one anyway).

NB: Name to appear in the guest card is the baby’s name in this case. I got a bit confused and put my own name in with my husband’s (which left the lady assisting me at SM laughing and stating it was like a wedding. Oh well, we learn, right?)

As it turned out, I had to go into the store anyway to choose the items. So I could’ve done all this in-store, with less mistakes on my part.

I also received a call from SM’s gift registry department thanking me for choosing them. Quite a pleasant surprise. I told the lady I’d drop in later with my husband so she could explain how the wish list part worked and hopefully fix my date and guest card name errors.

At the store, we went over my incorrect setup with a lot of laughs and decided just to keep it as is, since they couldn’t change the details without creating a brand new event.

The process for creating a wish list was quite archaic. I’d imagined the simplified version of walking around with a barcode scanner and just scanning barcodes. Instead, with husband and a store assistant in tow, I was to grab a trolley, literally fill it with the items I wanted, then return to the gift registry office so they could manually enter and photograph each thing.

This took forever since I had to navigate aisles of over-stimulating baby products (many of which I had no clue what they did) and the gauntlet of shop assistants pushing items in my face – none of which were on my list.

With the battle of the children’s section won, and my marriage somehow surviving my frazzled self, we pushed the overloaded trolley (with several items scrapped off my original list) into the gift registry.

An information pack, registrant card and sample of baby laundry powder awaited me, along with the promise that photos of my wish list would be available by the end of the day.

Relieved and feeling pretty excited, we headed home, leaving our trolley in the trusted hands of the gift registry department.

I logged in later and got to see exactly what the wish list would look like to my guests. They would still need to go in-store to purchase the items, but at least they got to check out the list beforehand.

Other things to note:

• Guests can shop at any SM Department store, not just your preferred branch. They just need to quote your ‘Gift Registry Number’ or ‘Celebrant Name’ at the gift registry department and staff will assist them.

• Guests can opt for delivery to your preferred address.

• Items that have been purchased off the wish list appear with the has/wants filled and the picture replaced by an SM image instead.

• Free gift wrapping is included in a wide selection of colours with a gift card attached.

Baby Showers – Is there such a thing in Manila?

Having your first baby is daunting. Having your first baby in a new country? Talk about upping the ante.

Outside of finding the right hospital and obstetrician, there are many little snippets of knowledge and experience we take for granted back home. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing how things work here to what’s familiar, but the right attitude can keep the experience positive. It’s all part of the adventure and learning curve of being an expat right?

I was a little apprehensive about having a baby shower here, even though it was my first baby. At home, my friends would’ve sat me in the corner, and while I twiddled my thumbs, they’d sort it out. I had no idea how it worked here and when the question cropped up in the form of, “Are you having a baby shower?” the questions followed:

1. Did they even have baby showers?
2. Who organised it?
3. Who paid for it?
4. Who got invited?
5. Was it just an all female thing or did guys/husbands come too?
6. Do I have friends?
7. What’s with the blue and pink?

I’ve had a few discussions about it with different people here from various backgrounds and came up with the following answers (which is personal opinions, so forgive me if this is generalised or incorrect).

1. Do they have such a thing?
   • Baby Showers are more common in the middle to upper classes. I put this down to the fact that a large percentage of the population is struggling to make ends meet in the day to day.
2. Who organises it?
   • In my case, my church friends are organising it as a joint baby-shower with another girl due around the same time – and they have me sitting in a corner twiddling my thumbs. Love it!
3. Who pays?
   • This is a case by case basis where you can host a giant bash – wedding style with a buffet (because buffets are the thing here), or your friends enjoy the opportunity to host you.
4. Who’s invited?
   • Anyone and everyone really. It’s up to you. I kept mine within the group of church friends hosting it since I’m not doing anything other than showing up, and it is a joint one.
5. Do the guys join in?
   • This was up to the organisers. They didn’t mind either, but in my case since we’re all couples, the husbands will be there.
6. Friends? What friends?
   • This might sound funny, but hey…expat, new country, new culture, language barrier, adjustments and finding new social circles…I rest my case!
7. Pink anyone?
   • When baby shopping, I noticed pretty quick the blues for boys and pinks for girls here. I had a hard time finding neutrals that looked as nice or as a cute. Not to say I’m not loving the cuteness overload, but I’d love some options in cyan, mint green, yellow, orange or purple that didn’t look like someone’s afterthought (just incase there were weird people like me).

Risky Business? Online Shopping with Lazada

Buying online in the Philippines is a lot more difficult compared to Australia. The reliability and ease of eBay shopping feels like a luxury nowadays. Don’t get me wrong, there is an eBay.ph floating around, but I’ve yet to try it and I’m not particularly inclined to risk the surprise customs fees and post-office parcel release fees other people have experienced trying to get their items into the country.

Instead, I’ve turned to the local equivalent aka Lazada. It’s the closest thing I’ve seen and hosts listings from various suppliers both local and international.

A quick online search about the site aren’t encouraging. Hundreds of negative reviews call the site a scam marketplace with items not being delivered or issues with customer service. COD (cash on delivery) payments seem to have the best outcomes, while credit card payments aren’t recommended – with delays in refunds or orders being cancelled. Overall, the results are off-putting.

Unlike eBay, which displays supplier ratings based on customer feedback and experience, Lazada, though displaying supplier ratings, don’t appear to be up-to-date with customer feedback. So it can be hit and miss whether the supplier is reliable or not.

I decided to try it out anyway since it was cheaper than purchasing the items from the department store, and ordered a pet carrier (for around php 2,100), and some foam EVC play mats (php 600) from two different suppliers.

Unfortunately, since my items were coming from international suppliers the COD option wasn’t available. Instead of paying straight with my credit card, I chose the PayPal option. My reasoning? PayPal has a ‘supplier protection guarantee’ for items purchased online. This translates in my head to more peace of mind in the event something goes wrong with the purchase.

Once ordered, I received a confirmation on screen and via email. It provided a tracking number, listing of items, estimated delivery time and progress on the processing and shipping.

My pet carrier was meant to be delivered a week later, while my foam play mats would take three weeks.

Within twenty-four hours, the progress of my pet carrier changed from “order received and pending verification” to “order verified”. Three days later the progress changed to the item being packed by the supplier.

The estimated delivery date for the pet carrier passed and the status remained the same – still awaiting supplier packing and shipping. I had decided to give both items a month before I worried about having to dispute, so I ignored the itch to query Lazada.

Several days later I received an email from Lazada stating the order for the pet carrier had been cancelled due to “issues acquiring the product”. They promised a refund to my credit card. I wasn’t holding my breath.

To my surprise, I received another email, this time from PayPal, who advised they had been informed of a partial refund back to my account, which they would return to my credit card.

With the order for the foam play mats still pending, I was surprised when Lazada emailed to say the pending item was on the way and provided a shipment tracking number.

Two days later, a text message informed me that delivery would arrive between the original estimated dates. However, the next day I had the foam play mats in hand. These showed up a week earlier than the estimated delivery date, were well packaged, in good condition, and exactly as described on the listing.

It’s possible I was one of the lucky ones in this case, since my Lazada experience was pretty positive compared to what I’ve read from others.

I would use Lazada again, but here are a few things to consider:

• Take the displayed discount prices with a grain of salt. I’ve seen items in shops that are equivalent or cheaper than what’s showing on Lazada even after their discount.
• I wouldn’t recommend using supplier ratings as a basis on deciding whether to order or not. My pet carrier supplier was four and a half out of five stars and my foam mats supplier was only two and a half.
• Delivery texts might not be accurate with the date of arrival. I happened to be home when my delivery came, but I didn’t receive anymore messages to say when the item would actually be delivered. This may be a courier issue rather than a Lazada one.
• You can get a discount code by registering for their e-newsletter or doing a quick search online for active codes.
• Use PayPal or COD options if you can, and for big-ticket items (or if in doubt), it might be best to give this site a miss.
• Be patient.

NB: Incase I need to state this somewhere, I have no affiliation with Lazada whatsoever.