Image: Instagram/@saabmagalona
Saab Magalona was not afraid to speak her mind on her unpleasant experience with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“Bakit kailangan tayong pahirapan ng LTO?” the Cheats vocalist said in a series of Twitter posts yesterday, Jan. 9. Magalona slammed the agency for its online appointment system, where applicants get to ease the process of renewal in select LTO branches.
She shared she scheduled an appointment online, even expressing “WOW HIGH TECH” because of the new process. But upon arriving at the LTO’s main branch in East Avenue, Quezon City, Magalona was met with confusion. She was told that the medical examination station, which she said used to be beside the renewal, was now outside.
Bakit kailangan tayong pahirapan ng LTO? I scheduled an appointment online and thought WOW HIGH TECH so I went to the main East Ave branch and from my previous renewal experiences, the “accredited medical exam” is right beside the renewal. Then I’m told it’s outside and..
— Saab (@saabmagalona) January 9, 2019
To make matters worse, Magalona shared that the two out of four clinics nearby were already booked, as they could only accommodate 60 patients each.
“Pwede nyo po itry sa natirang 2 pero ang alam ko 4am palang nakapila na ang mga tao (You can try in the last two clinics, but as far as I know, people already lined up as early as 4 a.m.), ” Magalona quoted someone in her tweet.
“Sure enough I passed the building and the line is crazy. Thanks, Philippines!”
2 of the 4 nearby clinics were already fully booked because they only accept 60 patients each. “Pwede nyo po itry sa natirang 2 pero ang alam ko 4am palang nakapila na ang mga tao” sure enough I passed the building and the line is crazy. Thanks, Philippines!
— Saab (@saabmagalona) January 9, 2019
Magalona then tried her luck at another renewal center, in Tiendesitas, Ortigas, Pasig City, which she described as “tried and tested.”
“Shouldn’t have relied on the online appointment thingy that lets you choose among limited branches,” she expressed, marking the experience as a lesson for her. “In the Philippines, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.”
So I’m going to a tried and tested renewal center instead (Tiendesitas) — shouldn’t have relied on the online appointment thingy that lets you choose among limited branches. In the Philippines, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
— Saab (@saabmagalona) January 9, 2019
Magalona’s unpleasant experience was not the first time she spoke up about her experience with a government agency. She previously bemoaned the lack of assistance at the Department of Foreign Affairs when she applied for a passport for her infant son. NVG
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