i have read of a story of a filipino ofw (overseas foreign worker) in qatar who was deported back to the philippines because his name is “almost” the same with that of a murder suspect on the run.  the thing is, the scenario was a complete fuck up by the authorities for he is not the same person they were hunting!  although they say that he still had to be deported for further confirmation of his identity, the traumatized man already lost his job.

almost a year ago, i blogged about my name being included in the hold departure order list at the manila airport immigration because a number of filipinos have the same name as me (see related post, hold departure order).  i was named after my father,  a name that seems too common.  there are at least six criminals who even have the same name.

i then applied for a clearance in the national bureau of investigation and a “not the same person” certificate in the main immigration office.  i downloaded a form thru the philippine bureau of immigration website to apply for this document and personally visited their office to acquire one which took me a few hours.  it  seems like a common thing on government offices in manila for one to encounter some snobbish and not so helpful employees (i say, not all) so i tried my best to be courteous and patient with them.  i’m telling you some of these people can really treat you like shit.