Lining Up for My Driver’s License
You don't need connections to survive life.
My first Non-Professional license was an experience and a lesson from my father. Most of my peers in high school were excited to get their first Non-Professional License. In the Philippines, we have fixers at the LTO (Land Transportation Office). They supposedly "expedite" the acquisition of a driver's license.
Now, before computerization, this actually did make a difference. Back then, all the paper work was tedious and the fixers just had to pay the one registering to give you cutsies so that you could get ahead of non-paying applicants.
When I reached 17, my dad proudly wanted me to get my non-pro driver's license (in the Philippines we have 2 kinds of licenses, Pro and Non-pro, the former being for those who make a living driving their vehicle).
Of course, being the impish youth I was, I wanted my dad to get it for me by using his influence to get the local LTO to issue me one without having to appear or apply by myself. Seeing this, my father told me he'd accompany to the closest LTO that issues new licenses.
To make a long story short, when we got there, he made me do everything, from filling the form, taking the drug tests, the written and actual driving tests. I still remember the proctor for the written exam trying to extort money from me. He told me he could give me a questionnaire with the answers. I told him just to check it and I passed the test to his surprise. I then went downstairs where another man tested my driving skills with a manual transmission car.
The whole ordeal took five or more hours of my day, my dad's precious time and a lot of sweat, to receive a receipt for a license which did not properly state my address (right village but wrong province, it should have said Makati not Cavite). I ended up having to go to the main office in Quezon City (an even bigger hassle).
Was it worth it? Yes. In retrospect, I cannot deny the realization that you don't need a short cut for everything.
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