i don't remember and that's the problem.
rpm -qa | grep php and i got: php-mbstring-4.3.9-3.9 php-ldap-4.3.9-3.9 php-pear-4.3.9-3.9 php-mysql-4.3.9-3.9 php-4.3.9-3.9
and there lies the issue - it was not installed as an rpm
remove the 'stuff' that was installed via tar and then install using yum or similar