I'm a freelance virtual assistant. As such, I don't really have any valid IDs with me except for my passport. The SSS ID I have is still the one I was given on my senior year in Ateneo (laminated and still has my maiden name on it); my GSIS e-card has already expired coz I no longer work for GSIS even if I'm still using my Unionbank account to pay for most of my utility bills; my Philhealth card still has my maiden name on it too; and my Platinum Visa is useless because it doesn't have my photo on it. So whenever I do transactions that need valid IDs, they always tell my that my passport is not enough. Even my NSO certified marriage and birth certificates only serve as secondary IDs.
I was supposed to get other valid IDs years ago but I always dreaded doing it for fear of wasting my time in long lines which can cause me severe migraines just like what happened to me when I had my lost passport renewed (nightmare!). I think my fear of transacting with government offices stemmed from my first encounter with Quezon City Hall back in 2002 when I had the spelling of my name changed on my birth certificate. On my birth certificate, my first name was spelled JENIFER when all my life I have been using JENNIFER. God! Do I blame my parents for this oversight? It was one of the most challenging and horrific moments of my life. Add to that the fact that I paid 26 effing thousand pesos and wasted like few months of my life just taking care of that! Don't wanna live through that kind of hell again!
