By Jullie Y. Daza
“SUDDENLY everyone’s nice to me.”
That was a silvery haired senior citizen talking. She had just discovered how nice she could be (in the eyes of other people) when she stopped coloring her hair. “Now they make way for me, they try to be kind, or kinder.”
It pays to be old. I found that out when I tried to renew my passport a few weeks ago. At the DFA satellite office in SM Megamall, what looked like a thousand people were jammed into a few rooms, mercifully fully airconditioned. The security guards had more than security on their mind, they were praying for sanity not to slip away. Applicants had that anxious look on their faces, coupled with their mistrust of other people and the sinking feeling that this was going to be a long day without enough hours to complete their business.
Thankfully, an exclusive lane was available for senior citizens. Exclusive is an iffy word in the Philippines, however, because in this case it means it’s okay for a grandparent to be escorted by a caregiver, adult children and the latter’s small children, all occupying the same lane. (Ditto with NAIA.) Respect for seniors means 1) no appointment is necessary, they are welcome any day; 2) no queuing is needed, seniors being a minority; 3) no rude behavior on the part of clerical staff who have been well-trained, so it seems, by their elders.
The most efficient part of the service is the last step. Upon payment, the applicant’s old passport is tagged with the relevant documents and sealed inside a professional-looking parcel for delivery. The clerk, who must’ve been with DHL or LBC in a previous life, says in his best postmaster-general’s voice, “You will get your new passport on May 2.
You sure you’re not going abroad? Because this passport has just been canceled.” Opo!
In all, the process took four hours, including lunch break. Only the DFA secretary could’ve completed his transaction in less time.
For senior citizens who enjoy living not just longer but younger, Tessie Sy-Coson and her mother, Mrs. Fely Sy, have published Finding the Sun, “a book written by members of Sunshine Place: Senior Recreation Center.” Of the 30 authors, only three are men, and it’s their stories I read first: Philippe Lee, 89, alias John Travolta; Lucian Arulpragasam, 90, of Sri Lanka; and Bert Galano, 80, “I still have the thoughts and passions of an 18-year-old.”
