Hurry back to your country? Here's how to do it.

Currently, the immigration office is holding up the renewal process, but it's not that serious. I went for renewal last month and they held my passport, asking to check for POGO. Even if you have a POGO history, they will direct you to someone specific (usually they tell you to go directly to room 308 to handle it with a specialist), and following their instructions should suffice. I tried using an agent, but their fees were exorbitantly high, often costing tens of thousands. I decided to handle it myself, but the immigration office's efficiency is quite low; it took about half a month and several visits, and just paying a fine of around ten thousand pesos sorted it out.

Don't listen to those agents exaggerating the severity of the situation. A reasonable price is acceptable; money doesn't just blow in with the wind. You can simply download a translation app and ask more questions at the immigration office. If all else fails, go directly to the main hall of the Immigration Bureau and look for a Filipino agent there (you can identify agents by the number of passports they hold; just ask them). In fact, in China, it's also common to use Filipino agents who have the capability to help you with legal issues as long as you haven't committed any crimes.

If you're unsure about your passport's status, you can directly check it in room 308 of the main bureau; it's free and they won't hold your passport. If you're still worried, print the first page of your passport and let the specialist check the status. At most, you'll spend a few hundred pesos on taxi fare. If you need legal assistance, go directly to room 420. Windows 31 to 33 on the first floor handle renewals. Don't start there; first check your status in room 308. If there are no issues, proceed with the renewal. If there are issues, they will tell you which window to go to for processing. Just take the form and go (handling ECC only costs 500 pesos by yourself).