Driving without a license is something I am used to doing. I think I was 13 when I started. It just wasn’t that big a deal to the people I chauffeured around. But when I reached my 18th birthday, something compelled me to get this piece of legal document. Maybe it was maturity. Maybe it was my mom. I really don’t remember.

So off I went to the nearest Land Transportation Office. The process is a complete blur to me now but I do seem to remember getting a student’s permit that day. The official license came after a month or so.

Now here’s the predicament. Back in 2005, when I was still residing in Las Vegas, I had developed a bit of an unhealthy addiction to beverages. Alcoholic beverages to be exact. Intoxication happened on a daily basis. One night, as I was patiently sitting in a bus on the way home, I accidentally fell into a deep beer-induced slumber. Only God knows how long I was out but I’m guessing it was for around a half an hour. The driver had to physically leave his seat and wake me up to inform me that we are on the last stop. Luckily, it was exactly where I was supposed to get off. So I hurriedly stood up, thanked the driver and went on my way.

As I was walking towards my place, I decided to do what I usually do before I get off public transit. I checked my pockets. My mobile phone? Good. My money? Good. Something is amiss, though. Shit. I lost my wallet. With it came my health card and my precious, albeit expired, Philippine driver’s license. Health cards are pretty easy to obtain and I really couldn’t think of an instance where my Philippine-issued license would be of any use. So I just shrugged it off thinking I could always get new ones.

Fast forward to 2008. I decided to come back to the hustle and bustle of Manila. It turns out that not only do I need an affidavit of some sort to replace a lost license, I also need to have connections if I want the process to be expedited. The other option is to just start from the beginning. Apparently, the best way to get a replacement license is to go back to the dreaded student’s permit. Meaning I need to retake all the tests or repay all the fixers. Crazy. Just to be clear, these information didn’t come from the Land Transportation Office. So it’s basically pure hearsay. But knowing how government offices in Manila work, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be accurate.