English
We had to submit the documents required to apply for our permanent visa (SRRV) in Makati, a finance and economic centre and major city in the Philippine capital region Metro Manila.
The following reminder e-mail we received shortly before the appointment regarding the documents to be submitted should give a certain impression of what awaits the 'modern' emigrant nowadays in bureaucratic terms:
1. Passport with photocopies of biopage (4 copies) and latest arrival stamp (4 copies) for both principal and dependents.
2. Signed SRRV application form (principal and dependents) printed in A4 size paper with one photo attached before photocopying (5 copies each). To be stapled together. If A4 size paper is not available, print the application form in legal/long paper and cut it into 8.27" x 11.69". I will sign the form before filing.
3. Medical clearance with one photo attached before photocopying -2 photocopies each. Bring printed results of laboratory tests and X-ray (not the Xray film).
4. Apostilled marriage certificate-3 copies
5. 7 pieces photos each applicant
6. Confirmation slip for funds transfer/remittance with 1 photocopy
7. Notice of Client Registration - will bring this and let you sign it.
8. Processing fee of $1,400 (principal) and $300 (each dependent) and $360 annual fee which covers the 3 applicants
- can be paid in peso (depends on the exchange rate)
- can be paid in dollars
9. Latest visa extension, if any (5 copies)
10. Valid ID (e.g. Driver's License) to be presented to the reception desk at the ground level of BDO Towers Valero (formerly CitiTower) corner Villar Street Bel Air Makati. An ID will be provided to you to go to PRA on 29th Floor.
11. Face mask and black ink pen.
Follow the sequence of documents (1-5) and photocopies are placed under the originals.
Although we only stayed there for two nights, I had the opportunity to explore our immediate surroundings a little bit and was pleasantly surprised: Makati looks modern, is extremely clean (especially compared to large European cities, where more and more litter accumulates along the roadsides), and everything is very easy to reach on foot - among others due to the generously laid out sidewalks and numerous underpasses.
However, not everywhere in Metro Manila is as tidy and inviting as in Makati, so the following pictures certainly give a rather selective impression of this region.
Deutsch
Die zur Beantragung unseres permanenten Visums (SRRV) nötigen Dokumente mussten wir im Finanz- und Wirtschaftszentrum Makati, einer Großstadt in der philippinischen Hauptstadtregion Metro Manila, einreichen.
Einen gewissen Eindruck dessen, was den 'modernen' Auswanderer heutzutage in bürokratischer Hinsicht erwartet, dürfte folgende Erinnerungs-E-Mail bezüglich der abzugebenden Dokumente vermitteln, die wir kurz vor dem Termin erhielten:
1. Passport with photocopies of biopage (4 copies) and latest arrival stamp (4 copies) for both principal and dependents.
2. Signed SRRV application form (principal and dependents) printed in A4 size paper with one photo attached before photocopying (5 copies each). To be stapled together. If A4 size paper is not available, print the application form in legal/long paper and cut it into 8.27" x 11.69". I will sign the form before filing.
3. Medical clearance with one photo attached before photocopying -2 photocopies each. Bring printed results of laboratory tests and X-ray (not the Xray film).
4. Apostilled marriage certificate-3 copies
5. 7 pieces photos each applicant
6. Confirmation slip for funds transfer/remittance with 1 photocopy
7. Notice of Client Registration - will bring this and let you sign it.
8. Processing fee of $1,400 (principal) and $300 (each dependent) and $360 annual fee which covers the 3 applicants
- can be paid in peso (depends on the exchange rate)
- can be paid in dollars
9. Latest visa extension, if any (5 copies)
10. Valid ID (e.g. Driver's License) to be presented to the reception desk at the ground level of BDO Towers Valero (formerly CitiTower) corner Villar Street Bel Air Makati. An ID will be provided to you to go to PRA on 29th Floor.
11. Face mask and black ink pen.
Follow the sequence of documents (1-5) and photocopies are placed under the originals.
Obwohl wir nur zweimal dort übernachteten, hatte ich die Gelegenheit, unsere nähere Umgebung ein wenig zu erkunden und wurde dabei durchaus positiv überrascht: Makati wirkt modern, ist äußerst sauber (insbesondere auch verglichen mit europäischen Großstädten, in denen sich immer mehr weggeworfener Müll an den Wegrändern ansammelt), und alles lässt sich - unter anderem aufgrund der großzügig angelegten Bürgersteige und zahlreicher Unterführungen - sehr angenehm zu Fuß erreichen.
So aufgeräumt und einladend wie in Makati ist es allerdings nicht überall in Metro Manila, sodass die folgenden Bilder sicherlich einen ziemlich selektiven Eindruck dieser Region vermitteln.
| I would like to start with the pictures of some high-rise, smooth as a mirror polished appearing office towers. | Beginnen möchte ich mit den Bildern einiger hoch aufragender, spiegelglatt poliert erscheinender Bürotürme. |
| The following photos show a little more tropical greenery. | Auf die folgenden Fotos wagt sich dann auch etwas mehr tropisches Grün. |
| Now lets descend into one of these underpasses mentioned above. | Nun geht es in eine der weiter oben bereits erwähnten Unterführungen hinunter. |
| I would have loved to see such a clean, brightly lit (and in addition with pictures of various insects and flowers beautifully painted) underpass in Germany ... | Eine derart saubere, hell beleuchtete (und zudem farbenfroh mit Abbildungen von diversen Insekten und Blüten wunderschön bemalte) Unterführung hätte ich gerne mal in Deutschland gesehen ... |
| Makati at night. | Makati bei Nacht. |
| On the last evening we ate in an Indonesian restaurant. | Am letzten Abend aßen wir in einem indonesischen Restaurant. |
|
Return to Tagaytay. The buses, which commute the 55 km between Metro Manila and Tagaytay and are equipped with air conditioning, cost the equivalent of not much more than one euro per person. |
Rückfahrt nach Tagaytay. Die auf der ca. 55 km langen Strecke zwischen Metro Manila und Tagaytay pendelnden und mit Klimaanlage ausgestatteten Busse, kosten umgerechnet nicht viel mehr als einen Euro pro Person. |
| View from the bus window of another typically Filipino means of transportation, the jeepney. As beautiful as these vehicles, often lovingly decorated by their owners, may be on the one hand, their exhaust fumes emitted in terms of black, stinking smoke and the deafening noise produced by their engines are on the other. | Blick aus dem Busfenster auf ein anderes, typisch philippinisches Verkehrsmittel, den Jeepney. So schön diese von ihren Besitzern oft liebevoll herausgeputzten Gefährte einerseits auch sein mögen, so unangenehm sind doch andererseits ihre in Form schwarzen, stinkenden Qualms ausgestoßenen Abgase und der von ihren Motoren erzeugte ohrenbetäubende Lärm. |
