Going Home During the Pandemic

I guess it is safe to assume by now that we are all affected by the pandemic in one way or another. While our respective situation can be worse or can be better, our common denominator remains the same - COVID-19 is real and it doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon.

As the title of my blog suggests, I am going back home to Cebu for the remainder of the year. I'm not sure yet when I'll be back but hopefully as soon as it's okay for us again to report back to the office.

The last time I've been home was last year for Christmas vacation. While that was also my plan this year, there were some last-minute changes because of family issues and the fact that our current lease is also ending. I have decided that instead of looking for a new place to stay, I will just go home for the meantime instead.

One reason I decided to go home is that I don't want to go around and check out new apartments amidst the pandemic. While I can do this online, I still have to see the place in person at some point. I figure the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 while I do this is not worth it. I've also been working from home since March and my company is totally supportive of us working from home so going back to Cebu is no problem, work-wise.

However, flying back home is no easy task either. Doing so means I am considered as a locally stranded individual (LSI) and have to comply with a lot of requirements before I can fly out. Here's a list of the things that I have to do in order to be able to fly back home:

1. Ship all of my stuff.

2. Comply with all the airline requirements.

3. Secure a letter of Coordination. This is basically the proof of my residence in the place of my destination.

4. Get a swab test.

Getting All of My Stuff Back Home to Cebu

Since Cebu is a one-hour flight from here and the maximum bagggage I can bring with me on my flight is 40kg, I had to ship the rest of my things via LCL (less than cargo load) sea freight.

I admit that in over the span of two (2) years while staying at our apartment, I have accumulated a lot of stuff. While I'm okay with getting rid with some of them, most are actually what makes this place a home for me so leaving them behind is not an option.

One of the cheaper choices that I have if I want to bring them home is via less-than-cargo-load (LCL) sea freight. I've learned about this a few years ago when I had to ship my law books back home to Cebu. When I shipped them to Manila before I took the bar exam, we had to pay around PHP 16,000 to have them delivered via LBC. When we got them shipped from Manila to Cebu via LCL, we just paid PHP 2300.

For this reason, I needed to pack all of my items really well in balikbayan boxes and label them thoroughtly. After several weeks of getting them ready, I've finally managed to put all of them into eleven (11) 15 x 15 x 15 inches boxes plus two (2) irregular-shaped boxes for a grand total of 150 kg.

The funny thing was I first coordinated this with a certain shipping company that gave me a quote of PHP 4700, which they said would most probably increase based on the actual weight measured once they pick up my boxes.

This threw me off because based on the calculator that they have on their website, my boxes would only come up around PHP 3300. Also, I found it annoying that they keep insisting that I crate them to the tune of PHP 2000 max.

At the last minute (because I was actually about to pay them), I called 2GO. Their client services agent was very good and gave me a quote of PHP 3300, inclusive of FREE pickup. What I really like about them (aside from the awesome customer service) was how efficient they were at handling everything. Less than 30 minutes later, my boxes were scheduled to be picked up the next day.

When the 2GO guys came the next day, they were also very nice, very professional and friendly, and gave me a total quote of PHP 3500 max. I even had the option to pay it once they got my items delivered so yay!

Complying With All of the Airline Requirements

I'm flying AirAsia because of the credits that I have with the airline as a result of our family Palawan trip not pushing through. These include the following:

1. Barangay certificate (needs Letter of Coordination)

2. Medical certificate (needs swab test result)

3. Travel Authority

What makes this really hard is the fact that government offices over here are not coordinated and are hindered most of the time by rules that are not responsive to the times.

First off, getting the barangay and medical certificates. After finally being able to talk to someone from the Taguig City LGU, I found out that Barangay Fort Bonifacio has no contact number whatsoever. This means I have to personally go there to get those requirements.

Next up, getting my Letter of Coordination. In order to get the barangay certificate, I have to have a Letter of Coordination from the place of my destination. This was honestly pretty hard to do and I had to complain to the city government of Cebu before I could be given one.

The reason? The contact person for my barangay said he doesn't know how to email and insisted that someone I know goes to the barangay hall in person to secure the document. I explained that this is not ideal because my parents are vulnerable and it would be exposing them to unnecessary risks if I ask them to go there.

Plus, I need a copy myself so it has to be emailed to me. He just told me that there was nothing he could do about it so I ended up complaining to the city hall hotline. Less than 30 minutes later, I got my Letter of Coordination from a very apologetic guy from the barangay who accomodated my request himself. Thank god for people like him.

Getting Tested

I was shocked that it would cost around PHP 6800 to get a swab test done (COVID-19 RT PCR) but since this is the norm now, I have no choice about the price.

My first option in getting the test done was to book it via the Zennya app. It says that they will go to my place to do the test.

While that sounds convenient, I was hesitant. Imagine seeing people in complete hazmat suit going to our condo building to do a swab test. LOL. As a clueless tenant, I would understandably panic if I see them and assume that someone is positive in our building.

With that in mind, I decided to just book at appointment at St. Luke's in BGC. It'll only cost PHP 4300 and it's near our condo so it's not really a hassle to do so.

The price and the actual test aside, I'm honestly terrified of the result. While I've been very careful and live alone since the lockdown started, we never know for sure, especially since there are also asymptomatic cases. Wish me luck that everything goes well.

I guess that's it for now. I really really hope that everything will work out fine and goes as planned. See ya!