In my family, it seems I'm the only one who doesn't have a US visa. A few years back, my mother and siblings got theirs. The wife also has one, which she got many years ago because of a company training in the US. I've been told that the process of renewing it isn't too much of a hassle.
No, it's not that my application for a US visa was rejected. The reality is, I simply haven't found the time to apply. It's not for lack of interest in visiting America. Indeed, our family has plans to travel together to the US next year to visit my sister, who now resides in Texas with her husband and son. While there, I intend to visit New York and Washington DC, the global hubs of business and political power, respectively.
For all its real and perceived sins around the world, I continue to believe that the United States of America is still a great country for many reasons. Chief among these are its geographical location and vast natural and human resources which provide a superior strategic advantage against rivals like China and Russia. On the other hand, while China may seem large and increasingly powerful, it actually faces serious socio-demographic and political issues, problems that, I dare say, are way worse than those confronting America.
But unlike America, self-proclaimed as the land of the brave, the free, and yes, the somewhat boisterous, China suppresses its citizens' voices. This stifling leads to choked innovation and unresolved crises, swept under the rug of authoritarian pretense and illusion.
I digress, but this topic about obtaining a US visa was prompted by a front-page story I read in The FREEMAN yesterday. The headline was, "Reopening US consulate in Cebu City in the ‘radar’." No, a consulate offering US visa services is not opening soon in Cebu. In fact, in a recent talk with Cebu reporters, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson phrased it as, "Not in the immediate plans, but it’s on the radar." Yet, the story indicates the importance Cebuanos attach to the potential opening of a US consulate offering visa services here.
At present, we need to go to Manila and stand in line at the US Embassy, and the process starts not in the comfort of an air-conditioned building but outside the embassy premises under the tropical elements. In contrast, consider the Schengen visa process for European Union countries. Their embassies or consulates are conveniently nestled in the heart of Makati City, in the RCBC Plaza Tower. Likewise, suppose you are applying for a Japanese visa; in my experience, it's a methodical yet simple process of posting your documents.
I don't blame the US government for the rigorous process that Filipinos must undergo to obtain a visa, including the indispensable requirement of a personal interview. Given the multitude of cases of Filipinos overstaying their US visit, the US government really has to scrutinize each visa applicant meticulously.
But this also explains why individuals like myself, who possess no inclination whatsoever to overstay their visit abroad or settle there permanently, find the process rather daunting. Once, on a trip to attend a conference in Germany over a decade ago, I found myself homesick by the third day and already wanted to go home. Yet, I still yearn to set foot in the US as a visitor. Thus, even the faintest possibility of the US government reopening a consulate here in Cebu for visa applications is welcome news to me.