Ging's CFO Seminar Experience:
Here's Ging's CFO Seminar Experience as she recalls it:
I took my CFO (Commission
on Filipinos Overseas) Seminar as a requirement for being a spouse of a
foreigner. Once you complete the seminar successfully, they will give
you the Guidance and Counseling Certificate which is needed to
get the CFO sticker that would be attached to your passport once you
get your visa. Sounds complicated, huh? This is one of the many parts
of how immigration works...I mean, talking only of Philippine
immigration requirements. That means, it's another side of the story of
immigration apart from US immigration. Paper works, paper works, and
paper works, everywhere (and money too! 
) are things that drives you crazy!
Anyway, here's my CFO Seminar Experience - March 07, 2005
I arrived at CFO building 6:15am and there were at least 30 people ahead of me on the line. At about 7:05am, they started letting us in. (Note: companions are NOT allowed to go with you inside, EXCEPT when the person is a senior citizen.)
Once I got inside I was requested to wait for my turn to submit my documents to the desk clerk in which I was asked to submit the following: (original documents were returned to me right away after submitting the photocopies.)
1. Original SECPA copy of my MC
2. One (1) photocopy of my MC
3. Original SECPA copy of my BC
4. One (1) photocopy of my BC.
5. Personal copy of my NBI clearance.(this was returned to me right away)
6. One (1) photocopy of the first back cover of my passport
Note: If you already have your visa, a photocopy of it.
Then she asked me my passport and inspected everything on it if all my names on it are matched to all my legal documents. Since my passport still bears my single name on it, she confirmed me if I am ammending my passport and I said yes. My passport was also returned to me right away. After that, she gave me a registration form to fill up and I was asked to pose for a photo via the computer.
I had 10 minutes filling up the form, as I wanted to be sure I am filling up all the data correctly. On the upper right hand corner of the form, you will know right away which session will you belong and which floor will you be having your seminar and counselling session. On the form, I filled up my personal data, and also the personal data of my husband.
Some few important things about filling up the registration form.
>be sure you know your husband's/fiance's mother's maiden name.
>be sure you know his job and his degree (if he's a professional).
>be sure you know his phone nos.
At exactly 10am, we were directed to a room (3rd floor) wherein we watched an episode of "Magandang Gabi Bayan", in which the topic was about Filipinas being physically abused by their foreign husbands. This is just a way of making other filipinas develop awareness about phsycial abuses that may happen to a wife in a foreign land, and NOT scaring filipinas away. The show lasted 20 minutes. After the show we went to the USA room and we were 13 in the class.(yes, I made a class roll call only to myself...
)We had a brief lecture mainly on what are the lawful steps we have to do once we step on the US soil. We were also briefed and given informations about the different types of US visas being the fiance/spouse of an American, how each of the visas function once we reach the USA, ...etc...in short, it was mostly on immigration issues. Our counselor was a good lecturer. The lecture was not boring at all but actually enjoying for us, and the group was very responsive as well...which means we were all eagerly learning!
After the lecture, we were called on one by one by the counselor and had our interviews.
These were the questions asked from me during my interview:
1. How did you meet your husband?
2. What website?
3.
Can I look at the copies of your husband's divorce decrees? I said, sure,
so I opened my folder and she saw me getting the divorce decree copies
on my folder, after which she told me..."good job! you are very well
organized"!. 
and I told her.."thank you ma'm, and I smiled.
5. How many brothers/sisters do you have?
Note: Be sure to bring with you photocopies of your fiance or husband's divorce decrees if ever they are divorced, as they are getting the photocopies for their file.
After the interview, she requested me to go back to the ground floor at counter 4 to get the certificate.
Thank God! That's all about it. All the infos I have read from asawa are all worth it. I was prepared about it, so it wasnt difficult for me.
I hope my experience will also help other people who are planning to go CFO for their seminar.
Nothing to worry about it...it is just a counselling and giving of infos. As long as u have the documents they are asking, u wouldn't get any problem at all.
By the way, all the people I have encountered at the CFO including all the personnel and employees are very nice and kind.
Here's Ging's CFO Certificate which was attached to her passport.
NOTE: You can either choose to get your CFO seminar before or after your visa interview. In Ging's case, she chose to get hers before her interview. Take note that having the CFO certificate is not over yet! You still have to go back at CFO and get the CFO sticker after your visa is attached to your passport. This is the case when you choose to get the seminar BEFORE your interview.
Just remember: It's a NO VISA, NO CFO STICKER policy!
If you choose to get the seminar AFTER your visa interview and the US embassy issued you the visa, (attached to your passport), you can get both get the CFO certificate and the CFO sticker at the same time...saves you time from going back to CFO :).
Ging's CFO Sticker:Here is Ging's details recalling her experience getting her CFO sticker.
After I received my visa on January 31, 2006, I immediately proceeded back to the CFO building to get my CFO Sticker.
They gave me a form to fill up, but I already had with me a form that I downloaded from the internet, which I already filled it up in advance. I asked the lady if I could just give her the internet form that I filled up and she said yes. Presto! I didn,t consume time filling the form inside again.
The CFO Sticker:
Important NOTE: This sticker should be attached to your passport before you board the plane. If the sticker is not reflected on your passport, the plane would always be strict on their "No sticker, no Boarding" policy, even if you have your visa attached.