The Aswang Phenomenon

My good friend Jordan sent me a copy of The Aswang Phenomenon, his latest film, and I must say I am very happy to have it.  There were worries earlier today if I would have to give up a finger or two to claim it, after hearing the horror stories that my partner and other friends shared about the Philippine Post Office.  Jordan even suggested that I just leave it and let him find another way to send it to me.

But ultimately, I told myself he was kind enough to send me a copy of the film (and snail mail costs money!) so the least I could do is try to receive it properly.  After prepping some extra cash in my wallet, I decided to commute instead to the place (rather than drive, so that's one less thing to worry about) and try to claim it.

Thankfully, today seems to be one of the better days.  At least it was for me.

I arrived to find around eight people already in line at Window 37.  There were a bunch of people also in line at Window 36, which made me confused where to go first.  While the claim ticket said proceed to Window 37, the people at Window 36 were holding their claim stubs and cash payment.  Logic also suggested that Window 36 should be visited first, since Window 39 was the actual examination and claim area.

I lined up at 37, and a guy behind me (who looked just as bewildered) asked me if he should line up at 36.  I told him, I didn't know and he decided to try 36.  He got to the counter first and was told to transfer back to 37. :-)  Poor guy.  Thankfully, there was only one new person behind me so he didn't feel like he wasted his time.

Once I got to the counter, I had to show some i.d. (Driver's License) and sign that I was claiming the package.  Then it was off to 36 where I paid Php40 for the Customs Examination, and before I knew it, I was  in line at 39 to wait for my turn to claim my package.  There were two people ahead of me who were having  some issues.   One was a woman with a balikbayan box and around ten polo shirts still in nice bags.  I guess they were concerned she was going to sell them?  The other was a young lady whose name didn't match the mentioned recipient.   Both thought were concluded pretty quietly.  What I found a tad frustrating was the sight of two other people at their desks who kept trying to call for the Customs guy for some "kuwentuhan" which I felt might just delay things for everyone.  Thankfully, Manong Customs was professional enough to wave them away to wait.

So yeah, I got my package and didn't have to pay extra fees.  I guess it is different when the package doesn't look... worthwhile to leech more costs on.

Thank you again, Jordan for this! And yes, am shy and excited to see how I turned out in the DVD extras section.  The first three issues of my online comic Diliman are part of the DVD!  If you guys are interested, check out the facebook page of The Aswang Phenomenon for a chance to win yourself a copy of the really informative documentary.