Hearing Pinoys’ voice in President Duterte

I know what Stephen Monsanto was talking about in his letter “Pinoys found long-lost voice in Duterte” (Opinion, 7/6/16).  I had the bad experience at the City Hall in our neck of the woods. But what should have remained “on the tip of my tongue” actually found expression loud enough to be heard by the government employees who made my day miserable.

I was applying for a tax clearance last year as a prerequisite to the sale of our family’s real property to pay for the medical expenses of my mother.  I thought it would be a breeze because I had all our tax receipts up to 2015.  Little did I realize such an application would entail the presentation of all tax receipts dating more than 20 years back. All I had with me were tax receipts from 2008 up to 2015.  I had no receipts for earlier payments.

The problem was, City Hall’s database did not have complete files on tax payments. The burden of proof was laid on the applicant for tax clearance.  When I showed the employee I was dealing with a tax clearance when we bought the property in 2007, she simply shrugged it off and told me to go to the office of her boss for advice. At that office, only the secretary was available. Asked what time the big boss would report for work, she could not tell.  After almost three hours of waiting in vain, I was advised to come back after lunch.

From 1 to 3 p.m., no boss showed up.  I was then told to come back the next day.  On my way out of that office, someone who talked like a fixer offered to help for a fee, assuring me the clearance would be ready before 5 p.m.!  I asked how much? P5,000! That was when I blurted out the “PI.”  (Who says only tough guys have the license to curse?)  Needless to say, I never got any clearance to this day.  We got the money from a friend who accepted a simple mortgage on the property without going through so much hassle.

—ROSE ANNE BARTOLOME, roseannebar88@yahoo.com