Why are DOST Scholars Permanently on an NBI Clearance Watch List???
With all the brouhaha over watch lists these days, I find it absolutely crazy that Ramona Bautista and Senator Ping Lacson evaded the justice system, and yet scholars of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) are permanently put on a watch list of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)…
From 1985 to 1988, I was supported by the DOST in obtaining my undergraduate degree at De La Salle University (DLSU). Shortly thereafter, I obtained permission from DOST to go overseas to take a Masters degree, and subsequently a PhD (in Statistics), working out all the documentary procedures to have DOST agree to postponing my three year service requirement (of serving within the Philippines).
After returning to the Philippines, I worked for nearly a year as a full time asst. prof at DLSU (then joined religious life for five years), then joined government service. I have served a total of twelve years in government to date (8 of them under the Statistical Research and Training Center, and the last four at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies) thus fulfilling my service requirement.
Yet, everytime I have to travel for a long mission overseas, I have to secure an NBI clearance and it takes a while to do that as I, like all DOST scholars, are on a permanent watch list. The DOST Science Education Institute has already requested NBI to take me out of their watch list, but yet, this has not been done, supposedly because the NBI database “can not” be updated “… Huh???? This is really ridiculous… If they can put someone one a watch list, why can’t we be taken out ? I was told that the NBI database is complicated, and one can’t just delete people on a watch list. This clearly shows that people don’t understand databases… and innovation is something that is not practiced, especially in some government agencies, particularly at the NBI. I only wonder whether the fingerprints archived by NBI are at all used for any purpose…
I have complained to DOST and to NBI about this, but until now, there is no action. Clearly, DOST has no control over the NBI database, but there may be a way to help NBI in curing this malady. Otherwise, many of our youth may decide not to be DOST scholars anymore. Do we need to wonder why many scientists prefer not to come back to the Philippines?
©Copyright 2011, Definitely Filipino™ Blog Network. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise stated, all articles in this blog are opinions of their respective authors and not necessarily of Definitely Filipino and its staff.
DF Community 
NoBenta 
ragubalane 
abq 
Anna 
Lui B. 
Thadie MD 
Mga-sulat-kamay 
Ms.J 
a_dauz 
Mommyjoyce 
ejaybasaliso 
bobbyw59 
Den Dominguez 
Caloy 
tama,hindi po sa DOST ang problema. Last time, kumuha na ko ng PERMANENT clearance sa DOST para maclear ako sa immigration and NBI.
Ang pagkakaalam ko, kung familiar kayo sa issue ng NBI, yung nagkaproblema sila sa database nila dahil dun sa issue ng third party na nagsusupport sa kanila, nung natapos ang kontrata ay pati yung database nila e tinakbo. Di ko lang alam masyado ang issue pero ang accountability nito, nasa NBI talaga.
Sana, next time din e di na ko kailangan pa magpaclearance uli sa NBI kung babalik ako at kukuha ng clearance.
Last April 10, 2012 pumunta ako ng NBI para kumuha ng clearance just for school purpose kasi balak ko mag-aral ulit dito sa Pilipinas. Nagulat ako kasi nag-clearance na ako since 2010 pa but until now nasa watchlist pa rin ako. Ang masama pa nito ay halos two weeks pa bago ko makukuha. Paano na kung nagmamadali kang kunin iyon? Simpleng pag-clear lang ng watchlist sa database ay hindi nila magawa.
i dont have DOST SEI clearance, I did not even visited DOST-SEI office to apply for it. I dont know if I am in a permamnent watch list at NBI beause of the fact that I applied NBI clearances easily, very fast without any hassles… No one from NBI or BOI had asked me about watchlists or about DOST… I fisrt applied NBI clearance at NBI-Iloilo City last Dec. 2006. I got my 2nd NBI clearance at NBI-Carriedo last April 2009 and then at SM Megamall last Sept. 2011… It was the same thing, no one asked me about DOST and watchlists concerns.. I am an OFW and had already worked in different countries… Frankly speaking, I didnt have any problem encountered like what i’ve read on this article… thank you.
Any updates on the NBI thingy?…. I hope the DOST/NBI clearance problem has been resolved before Director Gatdula was relieved of his position. So, was it? Yayks!
sulatan niyo na lang ang NBI director; i-cc niyo si PNOY.
kaso wala sila mga email address.
NEDA Director General Cayetano Paderanga who is my big boss at NEDA has written already the NBI Director (after I wrote him a memo, cc to Sec de Lima of Justice, and Sec. Montejo of Science). DOST Science Education Institute Director wrote me giving me a copy of the 2003 clearance memo of DOST to NBI… but no action so far… Hopefully, Sec. de Lima and the current NBI Director will take action on behalf of all DOST SEI scholars who have been cleared…
firstly, i wish to thank those reacted, reposted, twitted, shared this article on facebook, etc.
some reactions were confused about clearances… let me explain… when you are DOST scholar, you have a service requirement. i took college at DLSU for 3 yrs, so i had a 3 yr service requirement in the Philippines…
i asked DOST to get permission to study abroad… they allowed me (i just had to pay a bond every year). upon finishing both a masters and PhD, i returned to the Philippines, became a monk for 5 yrs (so i still did not yet fullfill my service requirements)… when i left religious life in 1999 and joined government, i requested DOST SEI in 2003 to clear me of the service requirement (which DOST SEI Dir. Ester Ogena did immediately). However, two years ago (2009), when I had to work for a few months in Qatar, I discovered that the NBI still hasn’t updated its watch list… Six years passed, and no action from NBI… The Bureau of Immigration and Deportation also has its watch list… The updating is regular (so I am not on the BID/DFA watchlist… I am however still on the NBI watchlist, because NBI does not update its watchlist). That is the point of this article… Those of you under contract for scholarships, must understand that DOST SEI and DFA BID are doing their jobs, but not the NBI!
At this point, i would like to thank NEDA DG Cayetano Paderanga Jr. for bringing my concerns to NBI Dir. Magtanggol Gatdula. NEDA DG Paderanga is my big boss, being the Chair of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), a policy think tank functionally attached to NEDA. The NBI has yet to reply to DG Paderanga’s letter, but I am glad that DOST SEI Dir. Filma Brawner has certified that I have been cleared as early as 2003 by then DOST SEI Dir. Ester Ogena. DOST SEI Dir. Brawner responded to my memo to NEDA DG Paderanga, which was cc’d to DOST Sec. Mario Montejo and DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima.
I only hope that the NBI resolves this soon, if not for my sake, for the rest of DOST SEI scholars who already are cleared but yet are still on the NBI watchlist.
Hi, I’m also a DOST Scholar and I’m a graduating student (BS Chemistry). Plano ko sana mag aral ng MS in Chemistry abroad after I graduate, kung makakahanap ako ng scholarship para dun. Alam nyo po ba kung papayag ba ang DOST dyan? Or do I have to work here first for 4 years tapos saka na ako pwedeng mag MS?
the Bureau of Immigration watch list is easy to update, but the NBI clearance list is not being updated… That is the whole point of the article
Alam ko po; sorry for my off-topic comment. I was just looking for someone who could answer my query. I thought maybe you could, since you were a scholar too yourself and you have more experience than I do. Thank you for the info.
Seriously?? Database can not be updated??? lame excuse for ignorance!!! i have been working with databases for the last 6 years and i have not seen a database which can not be updated. Maybe there are restrictions or rules to follow but for a critical database such a NBI to said “Cant be updated” this one is downright crap!
Only shows how pathetic and ignorant the people hired by the government. Most ot the time it is “padrino/kamag anak” thing inside the government. You don’t have to be bright to get the position, just need to have a good backer inside.
Sorry. It’s a clearance from the Bureau of Immigration.
Bureau of Immigration and Deportation watchlist is regularly updated, but not the NBI watchlist. You are right you don’t need the NBI clearance everytime you travel, but you will need it if you become an OFW… Trust me! ( i joined the OFW ranks for 3 months … )
You can secure a one-time clearance from the DFA (sorry im confused now if it’s DFA but it’s located in Intramuros). It’s actually a letter to the NBI to remove you from the watchlist. You need not get an NBI clearance everytime you’ll travel.
I got the same problem not only with NBI but also with DFA. When I had to change my passport from the old ones to a machine readable one in the US, I had to present my clearance again and talk to the VP in a private room. What’s up with that?
the DFA and Bureau of Immigration and Deportation clearance is easy once you have the DOST clearance… but it is the NBI watchlist that is problematic… hopefully, this will get resolved soon
i too have the same problem….i had secured my clearance from dost (as i have completed my contractual obligations> and yet everytime i try to secure an nbi clearance my name is still on the watchlist and its a complete hassle as i am in the province and it takes 15 WORKING DAYS for me to return to nbi then get interviewed..i complained already to the concerned agencies and as usual, nothing happens.
hopefully the noise i generated is going to make some changes soon for you.
I’m a DOST scholar and already served the Philippines for 3 years+. I’m no longer on the watch list. All you have to do is to secure a DOST clearance and prepare your Certificate of Employment as proof that you have already rendered the service needed equivalent for your years that you are a scholar(for me 3 years). Once you have the DOST clearance, go to Bureau of Immigration and present the DOST clearance and you’re done.
Bureau of Immigration and Deportation regularly updates their database for their watchlist… It is NBI that is at fault here…. They don’t update their watchlist, even if I have my DOST clearance already. That is the point of the article
i was once a DOST-SEI scholar before under the RA-7687 national scholarship and awarded last 1996. i graduated an engineering degree last 2001 and served country from 2001-2006. Last December 2006 i applied NBI clearance for overseas and i claimed it after only a week without any hassles and burden. No one asked me about DOST connections or relevant concerns. I first left our country last March 2007 and had a vacation every 6 months, thereafter, i applied again for NBI clearance and still the same, no hassles, no questions, no problems encountered…til now.
this means there was a lag time for you to get into the list… but you just have to have with you, your DOST SEI clearance and bring this with you to the NBI headquarters… you wont’ be able to get an NBI clearance at the usual outlets, for the same reason as me — you are on a permanent watch list.
i dont have DOST SEI clearance, I did not even visited DOST-SEI office to apply for it. I dont know if I am in a permamnent watch list at NBI beause of the fact that I applied NBI clearances easily, very fast without any hassles… No one from NBI or BOI had asked me about watchlists or about DOST… I fisrt applied NBI clearance at NBI-Iloilo City last Dec. 2006. I got my 2nd NBI clearance at NBI-Carriedo last April 2009 and then at SM Megamall last Sept. 2011… It was the same thing, no one asked me about DOST and watchlists concerns.. I am an OFW and had already worked in different countries… Frankly speaking, I didnt have any problem encountered like what i’ve read on this article… thank you.
http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno7687.htm
Seconded Mr. Albert. Mr. Evangelista your case is a unique one. Either a time lag or nakalusot ka but there is no way na you wouldn’t be identified since you are on their database. Maybe me lapse na nangyari either sa DOST or NBI part. But if the problem would persist later be guided that you need to secure clearance as everyone of us have undergone as i understood you didn’t secure a clearance yata.
abpsolutely yes! i didn’t secure clearance from DOST coz no one from NBI asked that from me? i didn’t even tried to apply it in DOST.. i don’t know what happened? why many of you were suffering the hassles in securing a such…maybe I’m very greatful and lucky… or i’m not in the watchlist afterall… because until now i don’t experienced the problem in seeking NBI clearance.. im here now working in Singapore…
Getting the clearance is a burden. But after I have finished my service agreement and submitting the requirements to DOST and obataining NBI clearance, im a free man.
Hi Ronel! What are the requirements to secure a clearance? Matatapos na kasi ako this April 2012. Thanks!
you just need to give your certificate of employment to DOST SEI as proof that you finished your service requirement… DOST SEI will issue a certification clearing you of the service, but unfortunately, because you will be on a permanent NBI watchlist, you can’t get your NBI clearance very easily… you have to get this at the NBI headquarters (unless NBI acts on this )…
our gov’t system sucks……I am an OFW too, and yet I always ask myself why our gov’t can’t do better…………..puno kasi ng curruption
it’s not just corruption.. there are many factors that contribute to the problems here… unfortunately, too many people have left the country … while i don’t blame you, but too few people here have practiced innovation in social services… instead of having to reward scholars, this is clearly a disincentive
Oh. I was a DOST Scholar for 4years and after serving for more than 4years, I secured a clearance from the DFA and I was able to travel without any hassle. Good thing I was not asked for an NBI Clearance because the last time I tried to get one, ang daming hassle. I was working and asked someone to get it for me (I applied for it personally) pero they won’t release daw until mainterview ako. Hanggang sa naexpire un receipt of payment ko, di na ko nakakuha.
the interview really means you are on the watchlist… you need to bring with you a copy of your DOST-SEI clearance…
>.<
My daughter is currently a DOST scholar in Pisay-Bicol Region campus. She’s now graduating and we applied for a DOST scholarship for her undergrad studies. I hope she won’t encounter the same problem as you did.
hopefully bringing this to the attention of people can bring about some action… the DOST people are extremely supportive, but the problem here lies with the NBI computer system…
oo nga. dapat tayo yung mas compensated kesa sa ibang lahi.
dito sa dubai yung mga locals dito dami benefits.
pero babalik at babalik parin tayo sa lupang tinubuan natin. setting aside yung mga problema ng pinas, maganda naman tumira dyan.
indeed, i encourage all of you out there to come back and contribute… i came home to help, and it’s been 20 yrs already since i studied… i have no regrets, but there are times when life can be better…
i am proud to be filipino, i am proud to have been a DOST scholar, and i support all efforts by government to make the lives of people here better… but i just can not understand why the NBI database can not be updated to remove my name since i have already finished my service requirement… if they can put me on a watchlist, they certainly should be able to undo this
Sad to say but these people are commonly the cream of the crowd and among the brightest above the rest as what RA7687 implies. Don’t you agree with me? But these intelligent people pa are the ones that have this burden and problems, these people that have the potential to change our country. Also don’t blame it on the DOST. They wouldn’t be DOST if they can not stand for technology. NBI now has a ridiculous process. I just came from abroad and renew NBI. To my surprise it has gotten worst despite the advancement of technology we have.
So true! Everytime I try to secure NBI clearance, i always had a hard time. I hope DOST can give a solution to this.
this is not up to DOST… DFA/Immigration updates its watchlist, but not the NBI
sucks to be you.sucks to be a filipino in the philippines.
True, that. I will spend the rest of my life living abroad after I graduate.
Sucks to be here. We Filipinos do not get the benefits and the treatment we deserve from our OWN government. I hate how this country turned into.
it is your choice what you wish to do… but it is important for some to stay, in fact, i prefer if most well meaning people stay… part of the problem is that we may have given up too easily… and if we do that, we let the status quo prevail… this country can be better, that is why i chose to come home, but i certainly hope that something can be done about this… it merely takes some initiative on the part of NBI to correct this.