CHAOS!
It how I can best describe my experience during my National Bureau of Investigation or NBI clearance application. Way back in college, I remembered my mom and I waking up so early in the morning about 5am to start and fall in line outside the building just to get an NBI clearance, not surprisingly still there are many people who start to fall in line as early as 4:30 just to be prioritized. It was very uncomfortable, the building was small and as soon as the gates were opened around 7am, the people are like packed sardines trying to fit in into the small space. However, it was changed when they opened a new office at Victoria Plaza infront of the main building, I could just go at 4pm and reapply for a clearance and in 1 hour, I can have what I requested. The place is more comfortable, lots of space, you can even roam around the mall or do some groceries without leaving mall.
Things have turned around again, back to the chaotic old building. Passing through the crowds who were falling in line beside the busy JP Laurel Avenue, sometimes I feared that it posed a risk for the applicants because of the passing vehicles because crowds are controlled, not all can come inside the building because of the small space. What is there’s a vehicular accident beside, people can get hurt because of that. The line was very long and the people are under the heat of the early morning sun. Once inside the building, it was packed with people, it was hot, ceiling fans can’t support such ratio of crowds. I’m blessed because there I was only applying for a renewal, good thing I have not lost my old expired clearance or else I have to repeat the whole process again.
I hope and pray that they will reopen the office at Victoria althogh Im not sure why they closed the office but I guess the officials have seen this problem, Im sure they are planning to put up a new bigger space, much better as soon as possible. Anyway, if it not for the volume of people applying, applying for NBI clearance is much easier than enrolling in a college. Here’s how: