How to get to the new NBI Clearance Center Alabang

if you're coming from the Las Pinas part of the south, take the jeepneys with the Starmall or Metropolis signs in front. These jeeps will terminate their route at your place of destination: Starmall Alabang.

Upon reaching Alabang, there are 2 things that can happen depending on what time you get there and depending on kuya drivers mood.

Time Factor: Starmall seems to have closed off certain walkways when it opens. I noticed that almost 90% of the time i get there by 10:00am onwards, the jeepneys take the ramp route up. Anytime earlier, they seem to make the ground floor drop-offs.

Driver Factor: this accounts for the other 10% of the time after 10:00am that the driver decides not to take the ramp up but instead do a drop off at either of the 2 ground floor entrances to the mall. Alight at the first entrance and walk to the basement. You should see a terminal of several jeepney routes. Walk towards the end and you should see a staircase leading up to the 2nd floor.

the jeep can take the spiral ramp up the parking lot onto the 2nd floor. 

Get off at the part facing Laguna de bay and look for a staircase leading up to the third level. If by chance your jeep doesnt take the ramp up, then get off near entrance of the mall and walk towards the parking area. There should be a staircase leading up to the upper floors. 

Taking the South Station jeep would only bring you halfway to Starmall. There'd  still be a considerable amount of walking youd need to do to get to Starmall. Its not the death march, but more than a little exercise. 

Getting off at the South Station, you have several options on getting to Starmall

Option 1: walk through South Station and up the stairs towards the overpass heading to Festival Mall. You should see the Muntinlupa Police and Fire Department as well as Crimson Hotel. Descend the stairs and walk your way towards Starmall Alabang which should be in sight.

There are 3 overpasses you will come across. The fastest way would be to take the 2nd or 3rd overpass which connects directly to Starmall.

Option 2. From South Station take the overpass to get to Festival Mall. Hail a jeep with a Starmall or Metropolis sign. Should the jeep go up the ramp and up to the 2nd floor of the Parking Lot, get off at the staircase facing Laguna De Bay. Take the stairs to the 3rd level and voila! NBI Alabang! 

How to get your NBI Clearance in Alabang - New Process! New Location!

New Location! New Process!  – NBI Alabang Muntinlupa Satellite Office

As of April 1, 2015, NBI Muntinlupa has moved to their new home at the 3^rd floor of Starmall Alabang (also known as Metropolis). There have also been a lot of updates to the NBI Clearance process. The previous process had 6 steps were the following:

1. Issuance of Form 
2.  Data Check
3.  Cashier 
4.  Data Encoding 
5. Biometrics and image capture 
6. Printing/Date of Release

With the new and improved online NBI Clearance process, steps 1-5 have been updated. Rather than lining up 7 different lines per process, these steps can now be conveniently done from your home or within the vicinity of a bank, bayad center or computer shop.

The NBI Clearance Form: 

The NBI Clearance form is now digitized. Everyone must accomplish the form prior to arriving at NBI for processing. Registering like you would a Facebook account, access the site at http://clearance.nbi.gov.ph/. NBI has also provided an awesome PDF step-by-step guide together with screenshots on how to register your account. (You can even upload your own picture on the profile and no, it isn’t what’s used in the NBI Clearance photo). This online registration and application takes the place of steps 1 - 2 and a little bit of 4.

 If you don’t have access to a computer or the internet, there is a shop right beside the NBI clearance office that offers to encode your details and create your online NBI profile for a fee. They have around 5 PC’s available with 2 reserved for attendants who will encode your personal information. Not quite sure if they open earlier than NBI to accommodate the early birds queuing but when we got there at 8:30AM they were already busy.

After successfully creating your account, you’ll be asked to select an NBI Center where you would like to take your biometric and claim your actual clearance at. You’ll also be asked to set the date of your appointment on certain pre-set dates.

Payments

The processing fee is still P115.00 plus the P25.00 fee IF you choose to avail of the outside payment options totalling P140.00. I also read that the fee would differ depending on the purpose of the clearance and can range from P115.00 to P400 something. Payments can be made through several options:

Over-the-Counter Bank Payments – BPI, Metrobank, Landbank, RCBC etc...

Online Bank Payments or Epayments – BDO Online, BPI Express Online, Chinabank Online, Metrobank Direct etc.

Bayad Center - Any authorized Bayad Center 

Per the NBI website payment could also be done at the Clearance center itself, however NBI Alabang didnt have this option. I was also able to see some people with slips from LBC with their registration number. Also it would be wise to note that if you decide not to continue your NBI clearance the payments done are non-refundable. (refer to paragraph on Forfeiture of Fees)

After selecting your preferred payment option, you will be given a reference/registration number. Print, write or download as a PDF on your device as you would need to present it when lining up at the NBI Center.  

**If you would like to know how to get to the new location of NBI Alabang Muntinlupa please look out for my article on Getting there: New Location for NBI Clearance Center Alabang Muntinlupa 2015  

Whichever payment option of your choice, its best to settle these a day or so before your appointment at NBI. If by chance you weren’t able to make your payments before the day of your appointment a Bayad Center outlet and BDO bank can be found inside the Starmall which opens at about 10:00am. The downside to this is that even though the process has been greatly improved and made efficient, it doesn’t downsize the number of people queuing to get their clearance. 

Lines can reach loops and layers at the Starmall 3^rd floor parking lot as the day moves on. The same principle applies: the early bird waits less and gets to go home earlier.

After you get in line, it’s pretty much a straightforward process. You line up till you get the white monobloc seats tied together and wait for your turn to get into air-conditioning (You’ve been warned). You get in 5-8 people at a time and wait for your turn to take your Biometrics. Just hand over your registration number to the attendant and your biometric scanning and image capture will commence. No more indelible ink, all fingers will be scanned and your picture taken with a webcam, the monitor slightly skewed to give you glimpse of the horror that is your un-Camera360’d face.

If you dont have any hits, your Clearance is printed instantaneously and you are home free! The actual queue and process at the NBI Center took us around 1-2 hours, given that payment had been done online and we arrived at around 8:30ish in the morning.

As for missing the date of your appointment, its a grey area i guess. The disclaimer from the NBI website states that:

" FORFEITURE OF FEES: Registrant/Applicant accepts the right of the NBI to forfeit fees collected under this agreement for failure of registrant/applicant to appear on the chosen schedule/date of appointment..."

BUT I'm not sure if this is firmly being implemented as when the boyfie had his appointment set on a Tuesday and saw the line was up to the ceiling (due to the fact that he arrived there at about 10:00am) he decided to go earlier on Wednesday to get ahead of the long lines. We were able to get his processed and no issues were incurred. Its still advisable though that you stick to the schedule, somewhere along the line, a nail that sticks out gets hammered. 

Tips! Wear comfy shoes, bring a gadget or better yet bring a buddy which functions as a dual time-killer and line-place holder when you have to go to the bathroom or would need to ask anything from the attending officers. As mentioned, the waiting or line area is a parking lot side walk that is exposed to open air facing Laguna de Bay. The early morning breeze did make our waiting cool and uh, breezy but I can only imagine how it would be at high noon time or when it rains. Yikes.

So there you go! Good luck and thanks for reading! 

Getting your NBI Clearance: The Process

Anybody who has tried applying for a job here in the Philippines has definitely come across the task of obtaining an NBI Clearance. 

If you are looking to get yours in the Alabang area here are a couple of things you will need to make sure you have before heading over to the NBI clearance center. 

Things you will need:

• Valid ID (see list below on #2 for what type of ID's they accept)
• 2 Pens (1 backup, you never know when it'll stop writing)
• A folder case/clipboard
• Cash and Change

For your sanity:

• Snacks (chips, biscuits, candy)
• Water
• Gadget + Power bank /Book
• Earphones/Noise cancelling headphones
• Fan
• Mirror*

Now that youre all set, here are the steps you need to anticipate in securing your NBI Clearance. Note that patience is a virtue and comfy shoes are a blessing.

Issuance of Form 

Fall in line, present your valid ID and get your form labelled “Clearance Application Form”. The form is free. No payments needed at this point. This is a 2 part form, 1 half for you, 1 half for NBI. You will be asked to fill out the usual information – Your first, last and nick name, current address, date of birth, place of birth, contact information and educational background. Be ready with your valid ID’s, knowledge of your height, weight, your mother and fathers full name and their city of birth. As far as I know this is the only form you’d need to fill out.

1. PRC License
2. Drivers License
3. Voters ID
4. Passport
5. TIN
6. Postal ID
7. SSS Card or E1
8. Police Clearance
9. Barangay ID with picture and number
10. Recent School ID
11. Recent Company/Employment ID 

Data Check 

line number 2. An NBI attendant will be checking your Clearance form insuring that you have filled out all necessary fields. If you are unwilling to fill out the complexion part, he is more than will to give you his opinion. 

Cashier

P115.00 flat whether for local employment or travel abroad. No additional fees unless you go the rouge route. They’ll issue you an OR and you need to note that on the upper left hand corner of your form. You’ll either be assigned to window 1 or 2. For faster transactions, please bring the exact amount. Saves time for everyone.

 Data Encoding 

my least favorite step, aside from steps 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 ,3.5 and 4.5. Here is the part where they take your form and the clerk encodes all your data on to the system. It is a dual screen and you will see all data input into what will be eternally known as your file with NBI. Be sure to check for spelling, dates and all that. This is official data.

Biometrics and Image Capture 

Finger print scanning (no more ink!) and your picture will be taken by the webcam inside the clerk booth against the white board behind you. No selfie screens here. You’d have to trust the good old fashioned photographer-subject relationship. The trust-fall exercise of this generation.

Printing/Date of Release 

This is another line in itself. You will get 2 copies of the printout. If i remember right, validity is 6 months. For those who have “hits” meaning you have the same name as someone with a record in the NBI database, then you’d have to wait for a week for them to clear it out and come back for your clearance. You will be issued a receipt as your claim stub.

A Southern Girl's Guide to Divisoria: The Bag, the Makeup and the Wardrobe

My friends and I have been planning our Divisoria trip for some weeks now. I've been there twice, once with my family and the other time was with my friends some time December a couple of years ago.

Living in the south, it’s quite the trip trekking north to Divisoria. Although I do have my favorite shopping havens close to home, there’s nothing like shopping in the bargain capital of the Philippines.

As a famous adage goes, preparation is half the battle. And if so, Divisoria is a war zone. Here, throngs of people from all walks of life, stalls bursting to the brim with all sorts of goods and bustling traffic all converge into a crowded citadel. It’s hot, humid, noisy and crowded. It only makes sense to be prepared:

The first instinct I had was to go online. And look at you doing the same. There are numerous blogs and vlogs on Divisoria.  Here are few must-reads among many others:

• Pinoy Road Trip
• Istorya Ng Divisoria
• Beam's Definitive Guide to Divisoria

Equipped with your new-found knowledge, let me reiterate some key points: 

Dressing Down – the key is looking plain, everyday and blending in. This is not the place for your gold necklace, diamond earrings and branded bags. Aside from the obvious reason that your bling might attract some untoward characters, looking like you just came out of house to buy suka (vinegar) could help with haggling prices down. You’d need to comfortable as well. The most recommended outfit: a long comfy tee, leggings and sneakers/rubber shoes. Sturdy sandals are optional, but remember Divisoria is after all a market place and as crowds move at a penguin’s wobble, getting stepped on or your toes run-over by a market cart is a reality. Steel toes anyone?

Make-down - Divisoria is the perfect place for the Au natural look. if you cant go without makeup, remember less is more. Just a touch of your favorite bb cream with sunscreen, a sketch of an eyebrow and you should be good. Sunscreen and waterproof makeup are your best bet. 

Bringing the Bag – two kinds are needed here: Your personal sling bag and your shopping bag.

Sling bag – A bag big enough to hold all your valuables but small enough to be light and hassle free is a necessity. When shopping in crowded areas, security is always a major concern. Always keep your bag secure by placing it in front of you at all times. In the spirit of blending in, do pick something muted, with a flap, zipper or better both. Please veer away from metallic shiny accents, rhinestones and studs. Unless you have any plans of stabbing the person in front of you when the crowds tighten or hitting a possible assailant with your bag, its best to stick to the uneventful.

Inside should fit your wallet/coin purse, phone and compact clean-up kit:

• ·         small packet of baby wipes (10-30 pcs)
• ·         alcohol (decanted into a small spray bottle)
• ·         folded tissue
• ·         fan (preferably foldable)

Don’t forget to bring a bottle of water. A roll of mints or non-melting candy can also provide a burst of energy when needed. I also make sure to pack a couple of meds like alaxan, mefenamic acid and some band-aids just in case. Its also helpful to break your big bills into smaller denominations. Less math, more fun. 

Shopping Bag - these bags make it easier for you to lug your purchases from store to store. Keep in mind that even in the malls the aisles can get quite tight and narrow, unless you have someone to watch over your purchases while you shop, its best to choose a shopping bag that fits your needs. Here are some options:

• Eco-bag: If you've ever shopped in the South, you’d know that plastic bags have been replaced with old school handle-less brown paper bags. This makes it imperative to have an eco bag in tow when shopping. Available in varying sizes, designs and fabrics, choosing an eco-bag for shopping is a very convenient in that when you’re not using it you can just fold it up and tuck it away. Perfect for light – medium shopping.

• Trolley Bag: You can also opt to get trolley bag which is basically a bag with wheels. There’s the pop-up kind which has retractable wheels. I got mine from SM Southmall at an amazing P100.00. Another kind of trolley is more reminiscent of your rolling luggage. It’s a cross between a backpack and trolley. Fancy thing about this is its collapsible just like a baby stroller. I’ve seen these in bazaars around the South priced at P650.00 and saw it cost almost half the price in Divi.  

Trolley Bag

Foldable Trolley Bag with Retractable wheels

• Backpack: A backpack would also distribute the weight of your purchases, leaving your hands free to roam. But place the bag in front of you for security purposes.

• Sack or “Sako” Bags: These woven bags secured with zippers are also a popular option. I don’t prefer using them because I find the straps being made of woven plastic aren't comfy on the shoulders. But if you’re planning on buying lighter items and don’t mind the straps then it’s a very cost effective option. You can buy them at any market in varying size options from your modest 12-inch bag to a whopping 4 foot high one. Just make sure you check the stitching is secure and the zippers are working.

Sack  or "Sako" bag: credits to the owner of the pic 

Did you find this blog helpful? If you have any questions or would want to share your  tips when shopping in Divisoria, feel free to leave a comment below: 

Thanks for reading! This post is part of a working series on Divisoria Shopping. If you'd like to know more on Divisoria, 168 mall guide, street shopping and more stay tuned for the next post! 

How to get to NBI Clearance Center - Alabang

THE MAP – How to get there:

Since I live in Pilar Village, my commute begins with the tricycle ride heading out of the village going to the main road, Alabang-Zapote. Then I hail a jeep heading towards Alabang. All of them are labelled Alabang – Zapote, but with the current routing scheme, you have the ones labelled with South Station dropping passengers off at the South Station terminal which is connected to the overpass heading to Festival Mall while ones with the Starmall sign will be passing by the main Festival Mall entrance fronting Entrata and dropping off passengers at Metropolis/Starmall Muntinlupa.

To get to NBI Clearance Center Muntinlupa, its best to take a jeep with the South Station label.  It’ll drop you off at South Station Transport Terminal (see map). Taking the jeepneys with the Starmall signs will bring you to the other side of the road (Festival-side), in which case you'll have to get off the jeep and climb the overpass to get to the side of the road where NBI is. 

Places tagged with the X marks are possible drop off points (depending on your drivers mood) at South Station terminal. If you are dropped off at the first X, then you'd have to walk your way through the shops in the terminal ( including export overrun shops, bars and at the very end a 711). If you are dropped off at the later 2, then less exercise for you. 

LEGEND: 

X  Jeepney drop-off points,

->  Walkways / walking paths

--- South Station Alabang-Zapote Jeepney Route 

You are now at the crossing a wide open space with a 711 at your left and jeepneys, buses and tricycles fronting you.  This is the turning point for the South Station jeepney you just rode and will be the departure terminal heading back to Las Pinas from Alabang.

There are two options for you to get to the other side, the first is the obvious - walking through the pedestrian crossing and to building across the street which is South Station. The second option gives you a little more cardio. Take the flight of stairs to your right connecting to the covered overpass that leads up to South Stations 2nd floor. This overpass will be right above you when using the pedestrian. Also, there's a pay-CR here, just in case you need it. Taking this second path will also get you to BIR Alabang, let me know if that would also be something you'd be interested in. :) 

**The 2nd path is also the one you take to get to Festival Mall. As the first overpass connects to the 2nd floor of South Station, it also bridges to the other side of the road. If you were heading to Festival Mall then all you'd need to do is go through the walkway and you'll end up right in front of the main entrance. On your right would be Crimson hotel and the Alabang River while on your left is the Muntinlupa Fire Department. 

if you chose to take the first path, walk right across to South Station building. It's air-conditioned and the first floor has multiple food stalls selling everything from pizza, siomai and soft-serve. If you haven't had breakfast or are in need of a quick snack before getting your NBI Clearance, this is a good place to grab a quick bite.  

South Station is quite small but has several exits/entrances: 3 on the first floor and 1 on the second. The nearest way to the NBI Clearance center is to the take exit near the jewelry shop which leads to the Alabang Market right beside the escalator.  No need to take the escalator going up unless your planning to go to Festival Mall. Should you find yourself lost, Security guards are almost at every door and you can just ask for directions. 

If you took the 2nd path (stairs and overpass) to the 2nd floor of South Station you'd need to head inside and take the stairs going down to the first floor. (if you dont, you might end up at Festival)

Both the first or second path would get you to either the jewelry shop exit or the one with the Mister Donut shop which  will show you the road with traffic headed back to LPC. Just continue walking through the busy market stalls till you reach the corner, this should just be a couple of meters, nothing too far. Turn left into the busy inner street, keep left so that you can spot the entrance to Victory Shopping Mall. (I think there's another entrance from the other side of Victory Mall unfortunately I wasn't able to explore it yet.)

After passing by a couple of stalls selling slippers, you should be close. Once you come across a tiled staircase leading up to the building with a Metrobank ATM, youre practically there! Go up an enjoy the air-conditioning, there’s a sign to your right that should point you towards the NBI, NSO and COMELEC offices and voila you’ve reached your destination.

*this post is part of a series on this blog on how to get your NBI Clearance in the South. If you'd like to know more on that, stay tuned for the next post! :)

Maxi-peel Concealing Cream

This is basically a tinted moisturizer. Coverage is light to medium. I know there are 2 shades available for this product, Natural and Fair but I’ve only seen the one in Fair. I stumbled across this product as I was looking for a tinted moisturizer to use as I have combination skin. I knew that maxi-peel was an exfoliant so I got curious and picked the item up.

Thing that I did like:

A little goes a long way. A pea-sized amount is good for the entire face for light coverage and its affordable at around P 20.00 a sachet. I was trying to look for the squeeze bottle but wasn’t able to find any. I transferred mine into a pump bottle so that I could keep it in my makeup kit. As mentioned, I have combination skin meaning parts of my face are dry and some oily. This product did a fairly good job in keeping the dry patches moisturized. A workable make-up base as the packaging says + SPF 20.

Things I don’t like so much:

The product feels icky if you stay in a humid area for some time. Not ideal for non-air-conditioned areas, sucks even more if you’re commuting sans air-conditioning. The consistency is quite thick, it looks fairly pigmented when you look at the liquid but it’s not as much when you apply it on. You also have to work with the cream/liquid really quickly because it tends to cake if you let it sit on your skin for a few seconds. The product can last the entire 8 hour day, that is if you can stand the ickiness.

Tips:

· Don’t use it with a foundation/concealer brush. It dries up faster than you can say maxi-peel concealing cream and it’s going to be a fight to get the product out of the bristles. Use your fingers to work the product into your skin

· If you have oily or combination skin like mine and decide to use this product, don’t forget to pack wet wipes. The ickiness is really annoying so just lightly dab the wet wipe on the areas that feel sticky-icky.

Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer and Highlighter (Makeup Review)

My blogging rose from the frustration of not finding the answers I wanted on certain items that I was curious on. That and the self-righteous belief that my opinion would definitely be of worth to someone other than myself.

But...enough of my vanity (for now) here's what I wanted to rant/rave about:

I've been using the same concealer for about 1 year now, that concealer is the Revlon Beyond Natural concealer and highlighter. I got it in the shade of 230 which is Medium (my natural honest-to-goodness skin tone pre-whitening craze days). 2/3 of the product is the concealer while 1/3 would have the highlighter.

This item has light-medium coverage as a cream concealer, meaning that it lightens the circles however you can still see the shadow or lines (If you have any, I know I do). So if you're looking for something that would completely cover up your dark circles then this might not be what you're looking for.  I personally like the not-so-covered-up look. It kinda says, " I'm concealer shade away from perfect, so you cant hate me yet. "(as i said, self-righteous) 

Glides on great whether you're using your fingers or a concealer brush. As our trusty YouTube gurus, Michelle Phan, Tanya B. and Say Tiocco, well uh, say, when applying concealer just lightly dab the product onto the areas that you want to cover up no need to heavily blend it in or you might just need to reapply the product again (this will just make you use more than you need.) The highlighter is also cool, non-icky formula that glides on the skin, its quite shiny/glimmered as meant to be. Turns out a little oily at times when applied on the brow bone but i love it best when highlighting the corners of my eyes.

(For more how-to's on concealer/highlighter application, i recommend you check out YouTube and check out that awesome tutorials available, the above mentioned I think are pretty awesome :).

Here's what it looks like (Props to the person I lifted this from. Peace!):

  

Staying power is a good 8-hour shift of non-sweaty activity and a good dust of powder to set it in. Any more than that you'd have to reapply.

All in all I enjoyed the product quite well. If used in meager amounts, it will last a while so 2 grams will go a long way.

Disclaimer: These are purely opinions on the product, no science, well at least not yet.  If you'd like to know more about the product I highly suggest looking up a product review on YouTube :) There's one for almost everything. Happy hunting!

Kudos to all those awesome sites that inspired me to start my own review blog. Cant remember all the sites I've read up on but thank you sooooo much! More to come!

Should you have questions, please let me know ;-)