Applying for a Student Permit at LTO

So you want to learn how to drive? And you've set your sights on a particular driving school. You're about to pay for the tuition fee when you find out that you need a Student's Permit in order to be able to study driving. How do you do it? (Note: the driving school might offer to do this for you at a higher price, but doing it yourself will take only about 318 pesos as of this writing, and about 2 to 4 hours, depending on the volume of applicants.)

So how do you go about getting a Student's Permit?

1. Familiarize yourself with the LTO License Application Form. I wouldn't advice you print it out since the personnel at the LTO Satellite will still ask you to fill out their forms with their authorization numbers stamped on the form. These numbers are absent from the online form. Still, you should be prepared to know the details being asked from the form. And remember to box shade, NOT CHECK, the checkboxes.
2. Try to get to the office early. There will be a long line for the Application Form, but to get one, you will have to present an original government I.D. and also a photocopy of this I.D. So photocopy your PRC, Passport, SSS, etc. I.D. It is important that the I.D. you use indicates your date of birth. Otherwise, you will have to prove that you are 17 years old or older using your birth certificate. Just bring a photocopy of whatever credentials you plan on presenting to avoid having to go out of the building and looking for a Xerox vendor.
3. You will be given a queue number. Wait for it to show up on the digital display. There are chairs available for you to wait on. Use the waiting time to verify that everything you wrote on the Application Form is correct.
4. There are several evaluator windows - and the person at this window will check your application for errors, and may ask you to read an oath about being a responsible driver. You have to read it aloud. After doing this, you will have to wait at the chairs again until your name is called.
5. The next window is for data corrections - I think you are called to this window if the person typing in your data from the application form to the computer can't understand your hand-writing. So, write legibly.
6. The next window if for taking your picture and signature. Be ready with your best smile. And writing with a digital pen is like using one of those fat pencils back in elementary. Make sure your signature doesn't overshoot the digital pad. Again, after doing this, you will have to wait at the chairs again until your name is called.
7. The next window is for payment. Try to being the exact amount needed, otherwise, you might have to go out and buy something, just to get change. Again, that's 318 pesos as of this writing. It was strange that they did not issue the official receipt at this window. You had to wait for it at the release window - along with your Student Permit. If for some reason, your name is not called at the releasing window, you have no proof that you paid. (Something to consider for the people working at LTO for process improvement).
8. Finally, the releasing window. Sign the sheet indicating that you were able to receive your Student Permit with the Official Receipt and you're done. Note that if you lose the official receipt, you will need to pay again if you decide to apply for a Non-professional license (you can do this after a month from the date you received your permit). So keep the permit and receipt together at all times. Also, you have to apply for a Non-professional license within a year from the issuance of your Student Permit. Otherwise, you have to apply for a Student Permit again.

In terms of improvement, here are some suggestions for the people working at LTO.

1. Please improve ventilation and air conditioning. Although there are A/C units, either these are not working, or LTO is trying to cut down on their electric bill.
2. The queue number issued at the beginning should be the number displayed at each window. In my experience, the personnel at the window had to read the person's name via a microphone, just to call the person to the next step. This can be confusing, especially when there's a lot of ambient noise or if you're chatting with other applicants.
3. And again, please issue a receipt upon payment - it could be a provisional receipt if you cannot issue the official receipt. This should serve as protection for the applicant, in case his application is misplaced between the payment and releasing steps of the process.

I hope this guide will help alleviate your concerns as you apply for a driver's Student Permit. God bless you!

Google Play Error 194

If you're having an Error 194 issue on your Android phone, don't worry. It seems a lot of people have been affected by this issue. If you don't believe me, check out the link below.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/play/hIIJ1nauNf4

Sometimes, the error changes to 927.

If you're planning to do a factory reset of your phone, let me save you the trouble. IT WILL NOT WORK. I had to learn the hard way.

Neither will clearing cache, data, etc. on the app you are having trouble with. The difficult thing about this error is that it has affected Google Play - the gateway to all other applications. It just shows how dangerous it is to be dependent on a single service provider.

Even if the phone is still able to browse the internet via wifi, the error will still come up. People have suggested modifying the date and time settings, turning the phone off and on, turning the wireless router off and on, turning your ISP's modem off and on. I've even watched a video advising modifying the host file using a root browser.

But I believe the problem is really with Google's service. It simply resolved itself. I, like other users, went through the easy troubleshooting steps above. With so many things I've done, I don't know if any of them helped since the last step I did, rebooting my modem, was what I did before the issue was resolved. But some users on the Google product forums claim that they did this step, too, and it did not resolve the issue. So it might just be coincidence, and Google's tech guys have finally been able to fix the issue after my last troubleshooting step.

If anyone has a clear and logical solution to this problem - something that has repeatedly been verified to work by other users, please drop a comment below and help others out. Thanks.

Till then, resist the temptation to do a factory reset on your phone, and wait a while.

San Miguel Takes a 2-1 Lead in the Semis

In a game that usually decides the outcome of a best of five series, Alex Cabagnot and Arizona Reid were simply too hot to defend against during the 4th quarter. Cabagnot and Reid simply could not miss no matter who was assigned to defend them. Reid posted up and did damage on the inside and could easily pop out to Cabagnot who was ready behind three point territory. Cabagnot also slashed to the basket and dictated the pace of the game with crisp passes to his teammates.

Norwood and McKinness were also doing well for Rain-or-Shine. But with McKinness busy trying to shut down the Krakken, Junmar Fajardo, the import simply could not produce another 50-point performance. This area is where the painters miss a big body like Belga who is out with an injury. And if the locals of Rain-or-Shine fail to increase their scoring output, the painters might bow out early of this conference.

Personally, I would rather see a San Miguel vs Alaska Finals series. Both teams have young stars with a lot of firepower. Just imagine if Lassiter, Tubid, Fajardo, and Santos were shooting the lights out with Cabagnot and Reid. You wouldn't know which guy to focus your defense on. And Alaska has a pretty similar style.

If I were to give Guiao my two-cents worth, I would shut down the playmaker - in this case Cabagnot. But that is easier said than done. Great game Alex. Keep it up!

Aces Take Game 1 of the Semis

It is still strange for me every time I see Coach Tim Cone losing to the Alaska Aces, a team he lead during the nineties. But this young Alaska team simply had a lot of youth, energy, and firepower. Props goes to Banchero who fueled the comeback of the Aces from a double-digit deficit.

In the same way that the nineties Alaska team had Johnny, Jojo, and Bong as their core, Coach Cone has made Barroca, Yap, and Pingris the local core of the Hotshots. But he needs a slasher type player like Cariaso or Duremdes was when Alaska was dominant during the nineties.

The current Aces already have that core in Casio, Banchero, and Thoss. But they have a slasher in Abueva, and a lot more players with potential like Azul, dela Rosa, and quality backups like Menk and Manuel.

The men Cone fielded during the 4th quarter were also questionable. Why was Pingris out during the dying moments. He could have helped grab a crucial rebound and help defend the baskets from attacks down below.

Still, if the next couple of games are going to be as close and heated as this first game, then fans of both sides are in for a treat. Also, expect Coach Tim to make adjustments. He can work with undermanned teams and teams with lack-luster players to create a deadly unit. I just hope the hunger will return to the Hotshots despite their success in the past.