Applying for a Passport? How to go to DFA Office

Are you applying for passport? Then all you need to do is to go to the Office of Consular Affairs of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The Office of Consular Affairs is the office responsible for issuing passports for Filipino citizens. Originally, the Office of Consular Affairs was located in the DFA compound located along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City. However, in 2010, the Office of Consular Affairs was transferred to Aseana Business Park in Paranaque City. The office could be found along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue corner Bradco Avenue. Visit my article, Tips on Applying for a Philippine Passport, for information on applying for passport.
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Office of Consular Affairs building

The new building of the Office of Consular Affairs is high-tech as compared to its old building. Also, the old passport application procedures were changed. Visit my post, Tips on Applying for a Philippine Passport, for information in applying for a passport.

Here is the map showing the location of the Office of Consular Affairs.
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Click on the map for a bigger view.
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How to go to Office of Consular Affairs to Get Your Passport

There are two ways of getting to the Consular Affairs Office in Paranaque City. One is to ride a bus that has a placard saying “MIA,” which stands for Manila International Airport. Buses with this placard could be found along EDSA and go around the big globe monument of Mall of Asia before passing along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue. These buses pass right in front of the Consular Affairs Office.

To board the MIA bus, all you need to do is to go to any part of EDSA (specifically the breadth of EDSA between MRT Kamuning and MRT Taft Stations). MIA buses are aplenty along EDSA and you can choose either air-conditioned or ordinary bus. Also, these buses also show placard that says “DFA” or “DFA-Passport.”

Another way is to go to SM Mall of Asia and ride a Baclaran bound jeepney at the terminal there. Those jeepneys ply along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard and in front of the Consular Affairs Office.

So, those are the way on how to reach the new location of the Consular Affairs Office. My only tip for you is to ask questions when you are riding so as to make sure that you are boarding the right bus or jeep.

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Photo taken from DFA website. Map taken from Google Maps.

Tips for PUPCET

It’s been years ago when I took my PUPCET. I remember taking PUPCET because I was not sure of passing the UPCAT. For those who do not know, PUPCET stands for PUP College Entrance Exam. PUP or Polytechnic University of the Philippines is the second most popular state university in the Philippines. It has lower tuition fee as compared to the University of the Philippines. PUP is also the school where poor students go since UP increased its tuition fee by 300% from the old tuition fee of 300 pesos.

Because of UP’s exorbitant tuition fee, many students flock the PUPCET in the hope of entering a cheap but reputable university. I remember the last time when I accompanied my sister to take her PUPCET. PUP ground is full with people and I am sure that it will be the same this coming Sunday, when I accompany my brother to PUP.

Taking and passing PUPCET is easy, especially if you prepared and studied well for the exam. Visit my article, Tips on Taking UPCAT, ACET, DLSUCET other College Entrance Exams, for general tips on preparing for an exam. Scroll down for tips in taking the PUPCET.

1. Go to PUPCET Examination Area Early

Going early to examination area is a must so as to avoid being late. I have seen many students running like mad just to reach their rooms after the bell signaling the start of the PUPCET rang. If your testing area is in PUP Main Campus in Santa Mesa, Manila then you must expect heavy traffic because many people will go to the PUP Main Campus and the volume of people creates traffic jam.

The advantage of reaching the PUPCET test area early is that you have time to relax and prepare yourself for the exam to come.

2. Bring Your Test Permit and Your School ID and other Documents

Never forget to bring your test permit! There are PUPCET examinees who forgot their test permits and they try to beg the examiners to take the exams. Examiners may allow you to take PUPCET but you have to pass many processes, which put you in great stress and might affect your mood in taking the exam.

Bringing your school ID and other documents like school record is also good because if there are some problems, then you have the documents that you need to back yourself up. You should always prepare for the worst.

3. Do Study the Exam Subjects

According to my sister, who took PUPCET two years ago, the exam is subdivided into four subjects and those are Mathematics, Science, English, and General Information. For the English subject, expect that there will be reading comprehension. For the General Information, expect questions about current events so be sure that you updated about the recent events and the big news in our country.



4. Mind the Time When Taking the Exam

PUPCET is easy and most of the questions are multiple choice questions so it is easy to guess the answer if you do not know the answer. Though PUPCET is easy, the catch is the short time limit for every subject. The trick here is to be fast when answering questions. Answer the questions that you know the answer first and skip those questions that you have no or unsure answers. This will make sure that you have at least sure points for the exam. Then, start answering the questions that you skipped. If you don’t really know the answer, then all you have to do is to guess.

Be always mindful of the time when taking PUPCET. Time during the exam run very fast and if you are a slowpoke then you’re doomed. However, don’t sacrifice speed for correctness. You must make sure that you are shading the right letter when you are answering the exam.

5. Don’t Rely on Leaks or Cheat Sheets

There is cheat sheet or a leak of the PUPCET that circulated when I took my PUPCET. I got hold of the cheat sheet and studied it diligently. However, I did not trust the cheat sheet much so I continue my review routine. Then, when the exam came, there’s a rumor that the PUPCET admin changed all the questions because they discovered the leakage. Thus, those people who relied on the cheat sheet were fried and failed the exam. The moral of the story is not to depend on cheat sheet or leakage. It is ok to study the cheat sheet to give you insight of the exam but don’t rely on it alone because if the leakage was discovered, you will surely fail.

So that is my tips when you are taking PUPCET. Hope that my tips help you and if you have other tips or experience when taking the PUPCET, then don’t be shy to share it by leaving a comment.

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List of Tagaytay Homes

Tagaytay City is one of the favorite places that I visited. I like the city for its climate that is relatively cooler than the climate in Metro Manila. I also like Tagaytay City for its scenic spots like the Picnic Grove, People's Park and Sonya's Garden. Another thing is the scenic views of Taal Lake from Tagaytay City. These are the reasons why many people want to live in Tagaytay City and a buy a piece of lot at Tagaytay homes that are springing up in the city. Tagaytay homes is the term I used for subdivisions and townhouses that could be found in Tagaytay City.

Buying house and lot in Tagaytay City is as risky as buying house and lots in other areas of the Philippines. You have to contend with high prices of lots and the risk of being tricked by lot sellers and land developers. There are many Tagaytay homes to choose from, so before buying any house and lot in Tagaytay, it never hurts to visit different Tagaytay homes so as to make you decide better on where do you want to have a piece of Tagaytay City.

To help you decide, I listed four Tagaytay homes that you could choose from.

1. Palm Crest (AustAsia Real Estate)

A taste of Bali at Tagaytay, this is how their website describe this Tagaytay homes. Palm Crest offers two model town homes, namely, Iora (250 sq m lot area, 2 storey, 8.5 million pesos) and Jasmine (300 sq m lot area, 2 storey, 9.5 million pesos).

2. Royale Tagaytay Estates

According to this website, this Tagaytay homes is just few minutes away from important establishments like shopping mall, police station and hospital. Royale Tagaytay Estates is located at the fringes of Taal Lake. Lot prices ranges from 3,800 pesos/sq m to 7,500 pesos/sq m.

3. Southridge Subdivision

Based on this website, this Tagaytay homes' house and lot cost 11,400,000 pesos with lot area of 344 sq m.

4. Villa Chiara Subdivision (Santa Lucia Realty)

The developer of this Tagaytay homes brags that Villa Chiara is near People's Park. According to this website the total contract price for a 240 sq m lot is 1,248,000 pesos. Monthly amortization with 5 years to pay. There is no interest for the first year of payment.

So that's the four of the Tagaytay homes that you can choose from when you decided to buy a piece of land in the wonderful city of Tagaytay.


Looking for more options? Read my second list of Tagaytay homes.

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