Clearance applicants swamp NBI offices

CEBU, Philippines -  The line of applicants for National Bureau of Investigation clearance stretched from the NBI compound along Escario Extension all the way to M. Velez St. yesterday as hundreds struggled with the NBI’s fallback to the manual system of clearance processing.

NBI-7 director Edward Villarta earlier said the new system in getting NBI clearance and clearance renewal will hasten the work of NBI employees and lessen the burden on applicants, but this new system is not available to satellite offices yet.

“Pasensiya na. We are trying our best to address this problem, maybe at least one week,” Villarta said yesterday.

It was last week when the NBI installed the seven new flatscreen computers and biometric scanners.

Villarta said the new biometric system will no longer require their applicants to have their fingers tainted with ink. He added the applicants can also get their clearance within five to ten minutes.

Villarta said with the new system they can now accommodate up to 1,500 applicants a day, compared to the last system which can only serve 1,000 to 1,300 a day.

He asked their clients to be patient considering that people from all over the province are trooping to the NBI regional office to get their clearance or renew their clearance.

Janice Estender, 28, a resident of Dumanjug town, said she went to the NBI as early as 4 a.m. but the line already reached the side of the road across the Capitol.

Estender said the other applicants were already there at 2 a.m.

Mark Anthony Dionson, 30, from Datag, Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City said he went to the NBI to get a clearance at 7:30 a.m. but by then the line had already reached M. Velez St.

He was not able to get his clearance after the NBI said they will only entertain 700 applicants a day. — (FREEMAN)