It has been three days since I lost my phone to a thief in the MRT. I think I am past the acceptance stage of losing the phone itself but I am still slightly grieving over the lost photos and videos from Baguio… and my possibly lost game, but more on that later. My current phone is now up-to-date with the apps found in my old phone. It’s almost back to normal.
This blog is for what happened over the weekend as I worked on getting my number back.
NOTARIZING MY AFFIDAVIT OF LOSS
I found a notary public office that was open on Saturdays near my house. I went in and said that I need the document notarized. The format from this post was pretty straightforward. I made sure to note that there was irreplaceable data in the phone to highlight my grievance. When I handed over the letter, there weren’t any questions asked. They also didn’t ask for a copy. (Now that I think about it, I should have brought one for them.) I paid Php100 (a bit less than US$2) for the service provided. While I’m not sure if this is a standard fee, it seemed fair.
GETTING A BACK-UP SIM CARD
In order to stay connected, I got myself a back-up sim card. They’re currently priced at Php80 (a bit more than US$1) but I managed to get a good deal on one. Once acquired, you have to register it, in line with the SIM Registration Act, in order to apply for promos. You can load it and use data directly in order to do so. The registration doesn’t take too long so you wouldn’t waste data.
GOING TO A GLOBE BRANCH
I could have gone to any Globe branch but I let fate chose one for me. I couldn’t get a ride to the nearest one so I ended up a bit ways farther — the branch in Alimall. It wasn’t that crowded and since I had a book with me, I read while I waited to be called and processed.
When I was called, I was asked for two valid IDs along with the affidavit of loss. I provided my Pag-ibig ID and Philhealth ID. Once they had my IDs, I made to fill-up two forms and asked a couple of questions about my account – when was it renewed, the amount I pay monthly, and related questions. When I mentioned I had a Gcash account attached to my number, they also checked that as well.
Afterwards, I was told that they will forward my forms to their head office that same afternoon for approval. There is no office on Sunday so there was a chance that I could get my number on Monday. But they also said they’d try and see if it gets processed within the day.
Overall, I was done within an hour — and that includes the waiting period.
Hours after visiting a branch, I was advised that the sim card will be released the following day. I was told that I have to go back to the branch in person to present one of the IDs I showed. That meant that I was going back to Alimall on Sunday as well.
SATURDAY NIGHT DRAMA
While I was pretty much accepting of everything that has happened, there was one thing that I couldn’t retrieve: the data for my game, June’s Journey. June’s Journey is a spot-the-hidden-item game by Wooga. I have been loyally playing the game for almost two years now and it has brought me so much joy. I love the storyline, the setting, and the gameplay.
When I opened the app, I was given the two options above. Since I don’t want to start a new game, I clicked connect and it is asking for access to Facebook. I do not recall ever linking it to Facbook but I still went along with it. You know what happened? I started a new game.
I was already reached very far in my existing account so it devastated me that I lost my progress. I checked their FAQ. This was presented to me. I really needed to link it to Facebook to save my progress. This broke my heart and completely devastated me. I was crying over it!
It may seem silly but I really love this game. I was learning a lot of new words and was really working on building things in the game. It was an irreplaceable loss. I didn’t want to start over too.
GETTING MY NUMBER BACK
Sunday came and I got my number back. I went in later than the suggested time and got it within five minutes. My number would be activated within one to two hours. I had to wait until I got home to put in the sim card and see if it works. At first, I didn’t know how to manage it but I turned on my data and the text messages started coming in, confirming that the sim is now active.
With my number back, I was able to get access to my accounts and updated things that needed to be updated, given the circumstances.
LIFE LESSONS
For me, the main life lesson here is to always back-up and to constantly do back-ups because these are still troubling times. You can lose important information and memories that have not been backed-up in a matter of seconds. Investing in a cloud storage or an external hard drive is good, especially if you like taking photos and videos.
Another lesson here is to stay calm. Calm, because you’d need a clear head to solve the problem. Without panicking or going into hysterics, I was able to process the problem and found a doable solution last Friday night. But yes, I allowed to grieve over the entire affair.
The last lesson is to always listen to the universe when it calls out to you. This is a bit of a stretch, to be quite honest. Before I rode the train, I felt like my phone was going to get stolen. There was a beggar seated near the train entrance who called out for alms. I stopped and thought of giving something; however, I was also in a bit of a pinch with cash so I went on my way. Then, there was that gut feel – your phone is going to get stolen – and I wished I listened to it. Imagine if I rummaged my bag for my wallet or coin purse (which was buried farther down my bag), burying my phone further in the process, I would have kept my phone safer from that thief. (I went back there last Saturday and bought the beggar a meal, because I want to set things right with the universe and because I wanted to help from the beginning but my stinginess got to me.)
I do promise to be more careful moving forward. Please take care and stay safe out there, alright?
Love, Anj