I'm really stuck, so I'd appreciate some help. I'm an American living in the Philippines with my Filipino wife, and…

Please stay calm. The process is simple. It's great that you're looking after your child as a dad. First, the State Department has to recognize your child's U.S. citizenship. After that comes the SSN. Step 1: Book a CRBA appointment in Cebu. Step 2: Download and print the DS-11, then apply for your child's passport. Follow the instructions. Manila has a photo booth, but Cebu doesn't. Step 3: Bring cash to cover the LBC delivery fee for the CRBA and passport. The CRBA and passport are handled in a single visit. So you'll need to pay LBC at the back of the 2nd floor. The CRBA documents will be delivered in 4 to 6 weeks. The driver will probably try to trick you into paying again, so show him the receipt and say you've already paid. The child's passport arrives 6 to 8 weeks later. The driver may try to get you to pay again, so show him the receipt. Once that's done, you're ready to apply for the SSN, which can be handled by mail. Ask about the SSN in a new post. I have some tips to share.

I did it together with mine in Cebu, and they mailed the SSN application to the Manila office.

You can apply for the SSN separately. Ask the Social Security Federal Benefits Unit in Manila about the process. You already have a CRBA appointment, so once that's done, ask how to apply for the SSN. Or first look at these two sites yourself and prepare your questions based on what you read. You need to search your question in several ways to see all the information. The U.S. site is fairly easy to use and intuitive, so here are some other things to look at. I hope everything goes well. First: https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/?utm_source=chatgpt.com ....... And Second: https://ph.usembassy.gov/?utm_source=chatgpt.com