The last time I got a visa to Taiwan from TECO Manila, which was over 5 years ago, I asked someone else to submit my materials for me. So, obviously, it was effortless for me. Before then, I would take care of things on my own, waiting in the scrum outside the Yuchengco Museum to get a number on the visa line, and running around the building to make sure I had all the details down right (there is a photocopy machine in the bank on the Gil Puyat side of the lobby where they are used to copying every page of your passport, yes, including the cover; on the other end of the lobby on the Ayala side is an HSBC branch which has (or used to have) an open Wifi network; up on the 3rd floor, behind the Mister Donut is a bookseller who will let you use their computer to go online to the TECO website and initiate your visa application in case you just learned that was the proper way to begin the process, which isn’t quite that different from the way AIT in Taipei forces you to use their website to schedule an appointment in American Citizen Services).
It is a good tip to always try to identify whoever you are dealing with behind those windows up there, because you may end up wanting to complain about that person. Sure, you can send it to MOFA here in Taipei, but in the past I have observed first-hand that MOFA has a sometimes tenuous relationship with its TECO offices. This means, that the TECO’s don’t care about MOFA, and if the “ambassadors” are political appointments and the TECO staff is like TECO Manila, which is 90% locally-hired staff, then you won’t be surprised at their autonomy. So, in addition to complaining to MOFA, and posting your story here on Forumosa, you should also email the TECO office as well. In Manila, if you are really pissed, you can probably print out your complaint from that computer next to the Bookstop on the 3rd floor and also mail it to TECO from the post office on caddy-corner on the intersection of Buendia and Ayala.
Another tip: the TAITRA office is that first door when you turn left once you enter the main waiting area. I used to duck in their to wait for my number to be called because NO ONE ever uses that room, so it is always empty, except for the librarian. I discovered it because once upon a time I used to work for CETRA and I would visit my colleagues when I was home in Manila.
And, of course, in addition to the security guards up at the TECO office itself, be sure to make nice with the 2 receptionists who work for TECO who are assigned at the counter in the lobby downstairs. Not only do they give out the numbers at the start of the day in front of the museum, but they are the first gatekeepers you will encounter. Since you can count on making at least 2, and maybe more, return trips, they will recognize you. By winning them on my side, I have managed to get lower numbers (sometimes people can’t wait so long so they return them), a break when I forgot to photocopy something, a tip on how crowded things are upstairs. Little things, but if you are consigned to wasting a lot of time at TECO Manila, it helps to know there are people who will pull for you, especially when you have to deal with cranky, short-sighted people behind the windows.
In short, I feel for you. Many of us have endured it. If you have a way to avoid doing it yourself by getting, say, your travel agent to have their messenger take care of the visa, do it. It’s worth the time savings. Plus, the messengers all seem to know each other – that’s what happened with me - the guy I gave my documents to turned out knew a messenger or someone at TECO. So having the right relationship (guanxi) can start well-before you even get here.
Good luck!