Some PICS in the US

I am blogging in here some pics of my stay here in the US, particularly since the time my email address was used by the scammer. Kakahiya talaga siya.


It was on this day of my Ordination Anniversary as a priest this year 2007 Dec. 16 when I naively gave away my gmail account password. Look at me happily posing with Rodel and Charisse, both DWU Senior HS Batch 81 batchmates.



I was able to attend the prayer service for Judge Serrano who died a few days before this moment I posed with my fellow Warays in California.


How can I miss Vegas? Las Vegas!!! I didn't owe the hotel anything because my friend booked us all in. Thanks to God and my friend indeed.

We were on the staircase instead of on the escalator so we could pose well.

Hope these will suffice for the moment. Hanggang sa muli! God bless and take care

Some PICS in the US.

Replies to the Scammer and the Scammer's replies

I'd like to post here the running conversation between the scammer and those who were written to. I feel very grateful for their support and encouragement, much more for the fact that they didn't give in to the scam's lure. At least I can say from this experience that there are people who care, and not easily swayed. There are 43 that I was able to copy. I did not write the dates of the conversation but the exchange between the scammer and those written to was between 18 December and 25. I was able to get back my email on Dec. 25 midnight here (half of Dec. 25 was finished in the Philippines since the US is a few hours late.) Besides, I decided to change my password only on the 26th since it was still celebrative mood. This should be a case to study so we can understand the wiles of the seducer scammer. In my next blog, I shall place the pics I have from my trip while still here in the US, just to show the scammer that s/he is a fake!!!!!!!!

The first five (5) below are the latest emails to me after I recovered my gmail account. The conversation between the scammer and those written to starts on the 6th.

1. Hello Father Have a blessed Christmas to you and your family. Father hindi kasi ako naniwala sa letter na ikaw yon kasi alam kong marami kang kaibigan na sobrang close para hingi-an nag tulong. I also tried to search scam letters and i found the same content sa net kaya na confirm ko na your email add mo ginamit na. I emailed Frater Feil about it kasi sa kanyang blog ko nakita ang name mo. Thank GOD you are safe and not in trouble. May God bless you more with many more good friends, good health, strength and preseverance to carry your mission. i remain your friend
Louella

2. sabi ko na nga e. i emailed the guy in tagalog and he stopped. jane, cesar and joy were asking about it. we will have a pacc meeting tomorrow so i will let them read your lates mail na galing sa yo. and of course, we will eat the chocolates you will bring home. ipcap meeting is moved to jan. 12, 2pm coz manang rosa arrives jan 8. see you soon. Haapy new year!!
Linda

3. Wow that was quite a story. ANother friend of mine from Perth Australia experienced the same..it was I think through her gmail too. these Nigerian scams are getting bolder and better in their hacking. Thanks for the warning too. Do I have your permission to copy your post and post in my Multiply blog that more people maybe warned?
Always: Edzz, Paul and kiddos

4. Padre,Thanks be to God a hindi totoo. Nag-alala kaya kami lalo na ako dahil nawala ang pambili mo ng pasalubong sa akin (joke ha ha ha). Anyway grabe alaga ang scam na yon. Musta ang pasko mo?nagkita ba kayo ni azell? Abou us, were been busy atending parties and invitations with the sarnelli kids. Nakakapagod bu full filling naman Sige, enjoy ka pa dyan

5. hi fr.glad to hear from you. scam naman talaga yun.ano siya? sinuswerte? basic rule - no one shouldever ask for your password and never give yourpassword. kahit na mukhang legitimate ung paghinging password. it's a good thing this had nothingto do with bank accounts.

6. Fr. Bernard
im so sorry, i just arrived from laguna, just read your message, so how are you now? pls update me of your condition and ill try to help you. Merry Christmas po!
(mayaman ka yata? Thanks ha? God bless - mine na 'to)

7. hi father,
just saw this email now...
how r u ?
have you received any help na?

8. fr bernard already knows what you are doing. please stop cause you are causing too much problem to all of his friends that had received your message. they already know about the scam you are sending to them. just restore all details back. (Tapang mo 'day! Sige, ipagpatuloy mo ang laban ni Gabriela!!!)

9. Dear Fr Bernie
Just got to Pennsylvania yesterday afternoon and leaving for Maryland tomorrow. Am on a limited budget as am under the care of my daughter and my cousin. So sorry that I can help you at this time. Hope you get out of that mess soonest. That's an expensive lesson for you. Hope others can assist you. Hoping Santa Claus can rescue you soonest.

10. Fr. Bernie
I am so sorry I don't have that much money, I can't help you when it comes to monitary things I only live daily by faith. I suggest you try to ask help from your Order. Maybe they can help you through their connections.

11. father, i really would like to help you with your problem. but still do not have yet my allowans dis month. but dont you worry, as soon as i reciv it, maybe i could send you some. and i will pray for you. just take good care of your self.

12. Fr. Bernard,
Is this true? Can't believe it. How can I be sure that this is authentic,will you please site some instances. Hope to hear from you soon.

13. Fr. ihope makatulong po ako.. anu puh b ung ibang details?

14. oh... father! i just thought you were only kidding. But as I went through the lines, oh my God, I can feel you out there. Terrible! Father, what can I only do is prayer. By now, I am taking the way to find my fare trip back to the seminary. Father I'm sorry. I have nothing here in my pocket. I'll pray that Superior General will hear your unlucky times out there. Hope you'll be back as early as possible. Worry not. Mama Mary Loves us.

15. Father, I can see how big your problem is, if only I can send you something, I'll definitely would... I am very sorry, coz' I dont even have enough money to bring myself home...I really wish I could help you out there... Maybe I'll think of other ways to help you..May be I can tell some priest here about your situation there..I am still in the seminary, coz' my parents did not send me yet my fair home..I'll offer my prayers for your safety tonight...I'll also tell the others, maybe they can offer you a little help..I'll also tell some priest here...Take good care of your things next time...hope you'll be out there soon. At least we know God will provide...Take care and hope to see you next year.

16. Dear Father,
It is very sad about what happened to you but I do not have the money to help you. while I 'am replying to yo, I' am using my last twenty pesos. I 'am very sorry. I hope that you could somehow get through this mess. but if there are other things I can do to help you please say it to me. I think I will have the money in Christmas. Take care father.

17. Fr. Bern, SVD
i can only help thru prayers...pls accept my prayers...(Thanks a lot for those prayers. They helped a lot so I could get back my email address and this blog and the other...)

18. HACKER!!!
Somebody had better inform Fr. Bernie about this...(Wow, shocked ako talaga. Nagkaroon ako ng tagapagtanggol, someone who's willing to fight for me. Thanks a lot ulit, and God bless)

19. Father, do you want us to inform the sommunity here in CKMS?where can we contact you?

20. this is a scam, aint it?well, you can't fool me...(i didn't fool you sir, someone did it without telling me while s/he had my email in the days between Dec. 16-23?)

21. Hi father, Greetings! I read the email. Hpwever, it was addressed to another person it came to me. Is that so you are in trouble still? Where are you now and how are you managing? God bless!

22. Hey You Algerian Criminal,
You make your country's reputation bad & known as such around the world. You're busted: you are not Father Bernard, a priest. You're the devil online preying on people and you even stole the email of a holy man, you evil. (Thanks Chuck.)

23. Father Bernard, I do not know if this is part of our previous psychology class last semester. I find it difficult to believe in the situation where you are in now. But I don't mind if this is true or not, still I am willing to help you in your situation. However, not in your financial problem, perhaps I could help you in a way of sending your letter to your congregation and in my prayer. This is all I can do Father Bernard, be brave father, have faith, and don't loss hope. (Opo kamahalan. Salamat po. God bless)

24. Padre, i is only now ha i open my email grabe busy and besides nasa ospital ang nanay ko. i would suggets to email bro. joel para sya mag sabi kay fr. joey. (Naloko kaya talaga ito siya ano? Grabe talaga kayo, scammer. Whoever you are, God bless you still!!!)

25. Dear Father,
I sent your message to Dr. Villar and Ms. de Chavez. Did they reply to you?
Are you really Fr. Bernie? Will I inform also Christ the King Seminary ? I am confuse if you are telling the truth. If you are telling the truth I can only sent through Western Union php 1,000. only on 26th. I am also short of money especially now. (Ma'am, you can keep that P1K until I see you again. I would love your Christmas gift. Di naman napapanis yan e. Hehe God bless)

26. merry christmas po father... may you find joy, peace and serenity this christmas season.. have a blessed christmas.... take care always,,,, we miss you (me din...thanks. God bless)

27. hi father,
just saw this email now...
how r u ?
have you received any help na? (Basta hindi utang ha? Di ko ugali yan no? God bless)

28. Dear Fr. Gu,
I tried to contact fratier Fiel about this matter already. Please hold on and do not worry, somebody from SVD will help you. Please indicate which hotel you are in right now and how can your fellow SVDs contact you easily. If you may please send to us your address right now. The hotel you are in and contact numbers of where to find you. How will money be sent to you? I also do not know where to find such big amount you are needing that is why i tried to ask the help of SVDs.
im praying for you (Gracias senyorita at di ka nagpaloko, pero malapit na po talaga. Remember not to be charmed by the seduction of this scammer, whoever s/he is...)

The scammer replied with this letter:

Thank you so much for your response and i am very much greatful for your concern. well i still have a little problem rigth here,which is due to the absence of my ID and some other things in my bag. i will be unable to pick the money at the bank. but i have spoken with my hotel manager concerning the issue of the transfer he did advice to help me in which he later agreed to use his ID and help me get the money. but i gave him a condition that the question and ans of the transaction will be arranged by me. so now i only have the ? and ans. and below is the wire info HOTEL TOURIST PARK HOTELNAME DAVID BENSONADDRESS 65 CATHOLIC MISSION STREET CITY MUSHIN.STATE LAGOS.TEXT QUESTION TO WHOMANSWER FATHER BERNAND please note that after the tranaction you will have to send me the 10 digits MTCN tracking number and the name you used for the transaction. Thank you and God bless. i will be wating to read from you please do it as early as possible and i will pay you back as soon as i get back home.

29. o sige paki ulit ng address, wala ka naman ibinigay kung saan ko ipapadala. ingat!

30. hi bro,
just wondering if you are really in africa? by the way, we are moving the ipcap meeting to jan. 12, saturday, 2pm down at your place. hope it's ok with you. Merry Christmas!
linda (Sorry di kita nasagot agad kasi nasa scammer pa ang email ko when you replied to him/her. Pero, ngayong nandito na ulit, sige, will reserve pagdating ko jan. God bless)

The scammer replied:

thank you so much Linda for your response and i am very much greatful.please kindly asssist me on the issue of my situation here.but to be sincere it's legitimate. you doubt me ?

Linda replied to that scammer:
that's because there are many victims of hoax messages these days. paano ka napadpad diyan? the last time i talked to you, you did not mention africa. sabi mo sa US ka lang with family and then attend a seminar still in the US. how could i not doubt you? pakitext nga, please. if this is not a hoax, i would receive a text or call from you. fr. bernie knows my cell phone number. by the way you are writing, fr. bernie always ends with a note i am very familiar with. :) this note did not end that way. linda (O di nabuking ka rin! say mo? Good observation, Linda. You're really a counselor, keen observer of hermeneutical matters!!! 3 Cheers! God bless)

31. father did you go to any cngration or phil embassy? (Patay, Naloko na - my response na here in this blog!)

32. Hi Bernand!
Just opened my email. Hope the Society will act on your request immediately. How can we send the amount you need? Give us the details how to do it.
How are you now?
In the meantime, rest assured of our prayers for you. God bless.

The scammer replied:

Thank you so much for your response and i am very much greatful for your concern. well i still have a little problem rigth here,which is due to the absence of my ID and some other things in my bag. i will be unable to pick the money at the bank. but i have spoken with my hotel manager concerning the issue of the transfer he did advice to help me in which he later agreed to use his ID and help me get the money. but i gave him a condition that the question and ans of the transaction will be arranged by me. so now i only have the ? and ans. and below is the wire info
NAME DAVID BENSON
ADDRESS KINGS DAVE HOTEL
65 CATHOLIC MISSION STREET
CITY MUSHIN.
STATE LAGOS.
TEXT QUESTION TO WHOM
ANSWER FR. BERNAND. SVD
please note that after the tranaction you will have to send me the 10 digits MTCN tracking number and the name you used for the transaction. Thank you and God bless. i will be wating to read from you please do it as early as possible and i will pay you back as soon as i get back home.

33. BELOW IS A LETTER, I GUESS, CIRCULATING AROUND. I RECEIVED ONE, CUT AND PASTED HERE. AYOS ITO HA! RESTI (The scammer must have blushed with shame! Good for him!)

34. here crazy guy. one day you'll get caught with this scam and maybe you'll trully be sent to gana and look like one of them and really starve like them you fool!!!!!! ashhh shit!!!!!!! damn u!!!!!! scammer!!!!! get scared because you're fooling a priest and that is one big mistake. u better stop this because I warned u !!!!! get ready to be in jail. I work for western union and I can get a hold of the transactions going thru in his name or emails fool!!!! (There goes my own sis! Thanks a lot for fighting for me. God bless)

Initially, she replied with this:
hoy!!!! keep watch!!! this stupid person is using your email. . . . . stupid asssss!!!! I'll call u tommorow.!!!

She did call me and told me about what was happening. She scolded me for giving my password out. Lesson for life talaga.

35. i was disturbed by the letter and was supposed to report it to our formators.one of my friends told be to verify if its is true. i asked noman if he received same letter and he said yes.i google the title of the program written in the letter and found out that it was a scam. (Wise guy you are. Good investigator. Keep it up!)

36. dear fr bernard,
i received an email coming from your email add. i justwant to confirm if you sent this message. i do hopeyou're ok.

The scammer replied:
Dear Haidee,
Thank you for your reply and i am very much greatful,well the email was sent by me.it's just that it's not every body i informed while going.but please try andhelp me out of it.waiting to read from you soonest.

37. From my yahoo account I wrote the guy myself:
Hi there!I have been trying to access my gmail account, but after I gave away my password (am truly sorry for doing so!!!) to whoever asked for it last Sunday in the name of gmail, I have not been successful. PLEASE, RESTORE MY ACCOUNT. I need to access that account since my students' requirements (these are reflections about our classes) are all in there! Please be considerate. I know you have been sending letters to people in my contact address in there, and am sorry that they have not been responding to you because they know me very well. I am not into what you have just been doing - EXTORTING money! If you don't, then you just have to deal with God about what you are doing. I am therefore giving you up to the Most High Who can avenge for me. God bless and take care. Hope you can reconsider what you have been doing. It's not yet too late. (See, natakot siguro kasi parang na-exorcise siya. Thanks God talaga, and of course to the Google Team.)

38. Good morning Fr. Bernie (sorry i don't know if it is morning in US)
i just opened your email (through research method 1 mailing list), thattold us that you are in Nigeria and was robbed there. i am afraid someone has use your mail account to sent this email toevery body in your contacts.

39. This is a scam.This was exposed in The Manila Standard Today column of Austero.Do not take the bite.

40. SVD-AFRICA Contact Info:
Society of the Divine Word, PO Box 209, Francistown, Botswanatel. (00267) 241-63-90; 724-066-44, fax (00267) 240-36-96
United Nations Nigeria Country Office, Abuja, Nigeria
For further information, please contact:
The Resident Coordinator?s OfficeAnthony Ngororano
Email: anthony.ngororano@undp.org
MAILING ADDRESS:United Nations HousePlot 617/618, Diplomatic Zone,Central Area District,P.M.B. 2851, Garki,Abuja, Nigeria.
EMERGENCY SERVICES American citizens needing emergency services after hours, on weekends or onholidays, can contact the following numbers and ask for the duty officer:Abuja: 0803-408-6000 (cell phone)Lagos: (234)-1-2610195 or (234)-1-2611414 (Mabubuking talaga siya if the scammer did that!)

41. ay, ano ang nangyari father?
I do not have such big amount of money. Do you want me to inform at least the DFA about your situation. So they can do something Father. I can send youP10,000 that is 200 US dollars only. It's 12 in the morning here right now.

The scammer replied:
Thank you so much for your response and i am very much greatful for your concern. and also sorry for not responding to your mail which is due to lack of access to the net and also trying to sort things about my p/port well i still have a little problem rigth here,which is due to the absence of my ID and some other things in my bag. i will be unable to pick the money at the bank. but i have spoken with my hotel manager concerning the issue of the transfer he did advice to help me in which he later agreed to use his ID and help me get the money. but i gave him a condition that the question and ans of the transaction will be arranged by me. so now i only have the ? and ans. and below is the wire info
NAME DAVID BENSON
ADDRESS KINGS DAVE HOTEL
65 CATHOLIC MISSION STREET
CITY MUSHIN.
STATE LAGOS.
TEXT QUESTION TO WHOM
ANSWER FR. BERNAND. SVD (See? Nabuking ka din! I AM NOT FR. BERNAND!!! Scammer!!!

42. Hi to all,
It's better to inform Fr. Bernard directly about this, preferrably not through email to confirm if this is true or not. For the mean time we should'nt be bothered. Goodnight and have a nice sleep.

The person who wrote in #42 was part of a running email conversation which started with this:
Hi All,
What do you make of this? Shouldn't the SVD be informed ASAP?

One answered:
hi andy,
i also received this same email andi informed fr collera that it seems thatour email addresses have been compromised.
ano siya, masaya? sinuswerte?
a lot of this type of scam originate fromnigeria. what, they expect us to part witha couple of thousand dollars? in the firstplace, i don't have that kind of dough.second, i will give him my credit cardnumber?
sira talaga ito.
fr collera,paki pray over na lang this guy.
regards,ernie

43. hi fr. collera,
look at this. i received it in mymail box and it appears that youremail address and mine have beencompromised. i'm really amazed howpeople can really try all sorts of methods to deceive others.
anyway, hope all is well with youand have a nice christmas out there.

GIVE ME A BREAK SCAMMER

I am posting here an account of what happened to me in relation to an internet scam so that others may know and learn something about. I emailed this already to those who replied to the scam letter (I saw them when I got full control of my email again, and THANKS anyway to whoever s/he was for not erasing the emails in the inbox). Happy reading! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Dear Everyone who was written to (by i don't know who - the scammer) last Dec. 18,

Peace be with you!

First I'd like to greet you Merry Christmas! I was at Holy Hills, Wisconsin this morning and concelebrated at the 1130(?) AM Mass. At the communion time, one guy said "Father, tagalugin nyo po kasi ang tagal ko nang wala sa Pilipinas. Namimiss ko na ang Pilipinas." It gave me the inspiration to ask the main celebrant (I forgot his name, he's a Carmelite priest though) to give me the chance to greet everyone in Tagalog, and Chinese before everyone leaves the place. I did, and realized that indeed we may be far away from home and feel so lonesome, but the birth of Christ on Christmas day has made me realize He is family to us and wherever we are, we are home! May you be with those whom you love and love you this Christmas! Christ does love you, and wants you to feel at home!

Secondly, allow me to apologize for the inconvenience of that scam you received. Please read this account so I can have myself cleared:

1. On Dec. 16, 2007, that was a Sunday here in the US, I was at a classmate's house in Carlsbad, California. I remember having checked on my emails in the morning before Mass. In my gmail account, I read one which wrote (am copying here what I actually received for purposes of pedagogy):

Dear Account User
This Email is from Gmail Customer Care and we are sending it to every Gmail Email User Accounts Owner for safety. we are having congestions due to the anonymous registration of Gmail accounts so we are shutting down some Gmail accounts and your account was among those to be deleted.We are sending you this email to so that you can verify and let us know if you still want to use this account.If you are still interested please confirm your account by filling the space below.Your User name,password,date of birth and your country information would be needed to verify your account. Due to the congestion in all Gmail users and removal of all unused Gmail Accounts, Gmail would be shutting down all unused Accounts, You will have to confirm your E-mail by filling out your Login Information below after clicking the reply button, or your account will be suspended within 24 hours for security reasons.
Username: ..............................
Password: ................................
Date of Birth: ............................
Country Or Territory: ................
After following the instructions in the sheet, your account will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention to this request. We apologize for any inconveniences. Warning!!! Account owner that refuses to update his/her account after two weeks of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.

I might have been shocked and scared, as I naively replied:

Okey, I am putting in here whatever data you have required. I don't understand why you have chosen mine when it has been very good and I hope I haven't done anything to disturb your system. Please check below the information. I hope I can continue availing your services. I just don't understand what made you choose mine and give me the impression that mine is "unused." I have very essential communications going on through this my gmail account. I expect your respecting my privacy and confidentiality of these informations.Thanks & God bless

Yes, I gave away my password!!!!!!! which I never did before in my life!!!!!

2. By the 18th of Dec., I was on the car my friend drove to Burbank, the place where I had to take my flight back to San Francisco. Azell Banoza, our former Social Worker at Sarnelli in Baclaran (she's on a training at north Carolina) rang me up, and asked a question which I thought I never heard her ask. She told me she had received a letter saying I was in Nigeria, and that I needed money… (you must have read it yourself already). Immediately, I remembered what I did last Dec. 16; so to race with time and whoever did it, I asked her to go into my gmail account, and change my password. In five minutes, when she called me back, I realized the email was no longer under my control. I felt like I gave someone the key to my house and when in, s/he locked me out in the cold. As soon as I reached my niece's place that evening, I checked my emails, and discovered that my yahoo account was untouched, and in there was the letter Azel received from my gmail account! I couldn't enter my gmail account as the password was already changed!! Whew!!! How I wanted to call the police!!! I called up Fr. Noel to cancel my previous schedule with him because I wanted to solve this problem. I knew I was getting into a mess which might have become bigger had I left it unsettled. Fr. Laput gave me the idea to email abuse@gmail.com and report the incident about my gmail account. Here's what I wrote them (this is still in my yahoo inbox):

To the person in charge of G-mail accounts,

Peace!I am Fr. Bernard Collera, SVD. I have received an email yesterday Dec. 18, from my gmail account berngu721@gmail.com and would like to report the abuse that's going on with this account. Friends have told me about this too, that it has been soliciting money, the amount of $3150 which i am purportedly to pay back when I go home. My classmate has told me to email your address so what's going on stops. I have actually written back to that account and pleaded that it be given back to me because the emails of my students are all in there. Please help me on this. I was stupid to reply and give away my password last Sunday, Dec. 16 to an email which purported that gmail was closing and that if i didn't reply my account would be closed. Sorry, but i admit that was clearly stupid (sorry for the word) on my part to have so naively given away my password. What's more disconcerting is the fact that I can't anymore access my two blogspot accounts, namely counpsychphil.blogspot.com and reflectscriptures.blogspot.com. Hence, whatever should be done so I can have those back would be the best. Please please assist. God bless

You may reply to me here since I can no longer access my gmail account. Thanks a lot. Take care
Bernard Collera

In a few minutes, the Google Team responded and gave me options. I sent them two more letters after following their directions, until I got to the site which asked for my Verification Number (which gmail sent to my secondary address upon opening my gmail account way back 2006). I gave as much information as I could, and even the right for them to "storm" into my account if only I could have my email back. 3. To keep this long story short, on Christmas eve, last night, while at our family Christmas party here in the US, when I checked my emails, The Google Team sent me this message:

Hello,

We have completed our investigation and we are re-enabling your access to this account. The account settings have been restored to the first name, last name, and secondary email address that you provided. We sincerely apologize for what you have experienced in this regard and appreciate your cooperation and understanding. To reactivate this account:…

I did as directed, and PRESTO!!! I GOT BACK MY GMAIL ACCOUNT!!!

I went through everyone's replies to that scam letter, and for all your concern, thanks a lot. You have to produce me evidence that you sent that guy money because he said he was me…if you want me to pay up. Sa totoo lang, sana wala akong dapat harapin! Chocolate lang ang maibibigay ko for you as pasalubong! Whew!!! Thanks The Google Team for all your efforts. May the Lord bless you!

Pasensya na po talaga sa lahat ng idinulot na kaba ng scam na yon. Takot ko lang talagang lumaki ang mga bayarin pag-uwi ko sa Pilipinas sa January 2008! HAhaha. Di ko po ugaling di magsabi patungkol sa aking pagpunta sa isang malayong lugar (formation output kaya ito?!); at mas lalong di ko ugaling manghiram lalo na ng pera (wala kasi akong pambayad!!!: seminary and family training output!). May this account let everyone who reads about it know

(1) what NOT TO DO and
(2) what TO DO when into what I went through. God is really GOOD! All the time! God bless--

Fr. Bernard, SVD

It's about 19:30 AM here as I publish this blog. This document has been first blogged in my other blog so that others get to understand what had happened to me (in case they might be interested). It's about 1145 PM Dec. 26 in the Philippines, so tamang tama gets nyo na to. God bless again and take care. See you January 4, 2008.

THE GRANDFATHER'S CLAUSE

In here is printed the Grandfather's Clause stipulated in RA9258. I got this from our PRBGC Chair herself Dr. Gabriel who was with Dr. Luz Guzman during our IPCAP meeting where we finally signed the IPCAP Constitution today September 10, 2007 at Christ the King Seminary.

REGISTRATION WITHOUT EXAMINATION

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

(R.A. No. 9258)

I. QUALIFICATIONS:

a. Had been a doctoral or a Masteral degree holder in Guidance and Counseling with at least three (3) years of teaching experience in Guidance and Counseling courses and/or full time counseling practice for the same period;

b. Had passed at least eighteen (18) units of Masteral level core courses in Guidance and Counseling such as Counseling Theories, Tools and Techniques, Organization and Administration of Guidance Services, Psychological Tests and Measurements, Group Process/Group Facilitating and Career Guidance; and have at least seven (7) years of experience in counseling work; and

c. Had completed academic requirements for a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling and had five (5) years experience as full-time Guidance Counselor/part time Guidance Counselor with officially designated teaching load in Guidance and Counseling.

II. DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS:

1. Original and photocopy of Birth Certificate (NSO)

2. Original and photocopy of Marriage Contract (NSO)

3. Photocopies of Diploma and Transcript of Records (BS, MS, PhD)

4. Original NBI Clearance (private employee)

5. 3 certifications of Good Moral Character (brgy captain, church employer/dean)

6. Original Ombudsman Clearance and NBI Clearance (government employee)

7. Certificate of active membership and Good Moral Character from (APO) to be issued by the President and two (2) other officers

8. Certificate of Experience (PRC Form 104)

9. Certificate of Employment/Service Record

10. Residence Certificate

11. Passport size picture with nametag (2 pcs.)

12. Application fee: P900.00

Filing Period: Setpember 20, 2007 - January 26, 2009

Qualifications should have been obtained on or before March 2, 2004.

STEPS IN FILING APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION WITHOUT EXAMINATION at PRC:

1. Fill up application form together with required documents for pre-evaluation to the Office of the Asst. Secretary (3rd Floor Main Bldg.) at the PRC Central office and Regional Offices processing counters.

2. Go to the Legal Division (2nd floor Main Bldg) for notarization.

3. Go to the Cashier for payment of fees. (Ground Floor Main Bldg) Window 1 to 4

4. Go to the Customer Service Center for metered documentary stamp.

5. Submit duly accomplished application forms to the Office of the Asst. Secretary.

6. After three (3) months, verufy status of application at Tel. No. (02) 735-1533

This is all for now. Keep posted. Please pass this to our colleagues. God bless

RA 9258 Rules & Regulations Published!

Monday afternoon, September 3, I got a text from Dr. Llanes (current PGCA President) informing me about the publication of the Rules and Regulations (RR) of the Guidance & Counseling Act of 2004 (RA9258). We did not have the newspaper where it was published so I personally went to Cubao to get my copy. I was lucky to get the last copy in the newstand. At first I felt cheated after not finding it in any of the pages. But Ms. Belen Mandin had texted me earlier that she had read it, so I called her to inquire where it was.

Yes, The Rules & Regulations of RA 9258 has been published today September 4, 2007 in the Manila Standard Today newspaper. The material can be found in page B5 Business Section. I pored through it immediately and felt happy. However, I felt sad to read that some portions/lines of Section 14 paragraph b had been missed out. So I alerted Dr. Llanes about it. After I got back to the seminary, I texted one of the Board members about the matter. I also called PRC and alerted them about it. Atty. Almelor assured me that they will check their records to validatae my observation, and if so, something should be done. This afternoon Dr. Guzman texted me back the following information: Manila Standard will publish an erratum on the matter on SEPT 6, 2007. Hope the misssed out portion will be clarified then because of its importance. Get your copy, or already tell your newsboy to reserve a copy for you. I hope to get my copy in Davao.

The implication of this publication is this: 15 days after the publication, i.e., starting Sept. 5, thoe among us who would like to apply for the Grandfather's Clause (license without examination) may already start the application process at PRC. This means that by Sept. 20, 2007 PRC will be accepting applications for the Grandfather's Clause licenses for Guidance & Counseling. Dr. Guzman told me that we need to ready our documentary requirements so they can process our application starting then. Please read the pertinent portions in the RR to get the idea.

In the meantime, I will be leaving for Davao tomorrow together with the PACERS Board for our Midyear Workshop which will be held at Grand Men Seng Hotel. I shall be back on Sept 8 in the afternoon. I shall read the material again (RR) and write here in this blog what the required documents are needed to be prepared for those applying for the licensure (Grandfather's & examinations). In this way those who may not have gotten their copies of Manila Standard Today Sept. 4, 2007 may also have an idea about the official contents of the RR. Now we need no longer panic because the publication of the document makes this whole thing really official and binding.

I checked with the website of Manila Standard Today just half an hour ago. Unfortunately, they don't seem to include such essential documents in their website. I wrote an email to them requesting if they can have it plublished online so we can read it ourselves, i.e., those who may not have had the chance to get their Sept. 4 copy. Let's pray they grant our request. The moment it happens I shall immediately blog it here, linking their site in here. You may also want to give them the same request. Just go to www.manilastandardtoday.com and in their Contact Us page, write your email.

Let's pray that the Guidance & Counseling profession grow and develop in our land so we may become more integrated as persons through the service of our colleagues. Remember that the Lord Jesus Himself was a Counselor. God bless

CHED MEMORANDUM released

I just came from CHED this afternoon, and finally, here is the CHED Memo many participants have been requesting. Please download it from here. And you may also share this with other colleagues you may know have also need of it. Have a great time and see you at Grand Men Seng, Davao. It's barely 10 days from now. God bless

Latest on the IPCAP

Here are two pictures from our latest meeting on the IPCAP here in the seminary last August 15, 2007. Only 8 came as typhoon Egay released its heavy rains that flooded the streets leading to the seminary. These were taken from my powerful Nokia 6630 celphone too.
Dr. Rose Llanes, current PGCA President stands at the center. She is our current IPCAP President. The guy in orange is yours truly, IPCAP Secretary. Our Treasurer is Mr. Cesar S. Cong, the one sitted in front of me. Our Auditor is Dr. Alda Perlita Polestico, sitted at the opposite side of the table beside Dr. Llanes. The rest of the committed Counselors are (sitted at left side: Dr. Carmencita Salonga [in front of Cesar], and Dr. Linda Bubod [at my back, beside Dr. Llanes]; sitted in front of Dr. Polestico are Myrna Serranilla and James Tan of CEFAM. They're organizing the Philippine Association of Pastoral and Family Counseling (PAPFC). They're Pastoral and Family Counseling masters graduates of CEFAM based at Ateneo de Manila University.

At your service standing from left to right: Cesar Cong, Fr. Bernardo R. Collera, SVD, Dr. Carmencita Salonga, Dr. Linda Bubod, Dr. Rosa Maria Llanes, Dr. Alda Perlita Polestico, Mrs. Myrna Serranilla, and Mr. James Tan. Our Vice-President [current PACERS Chairperson] Dr. Julian Montano couldn't make it due to the heavy rains and flooding, and he had yet to drive from his nest in Tagaytay. Missed you, Julian. Better missed than trapped in the waters of Egay in the streets of Buendia or EDSA!!!

We wrote a Congratulatory message for our two new PRC Commissioners Honorable Nilo Rosas and Ruth Rana-Padilla. Dr. Llanes was tasked to present it to them when she goes to PRC. We are at the moment finalizing the final copy of the IPCAP Constitution, have IPCAP registered wirth SEC and shall be applying for accreditation with PRC to become the Accredited Professional Association (APO) of Guidance and Counseling as stipulated in RA9258 or the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004. When we shall have been accredited as APO, I shall post here that document which should contain our Accreditation data, including our Accreditation #. We are also in the process of choosing the IPCAP logo and letterhead for official communications. If you wish to submit a logo for the association, you may email it to me so we can deliberate on it in our next meeting: AUG 27, 2007, 2PM downwards. It's a free day, so we have sufficient time to complete everything, from signing the Constitutions, to finalizing our incorporation papers, and the historical picture taking.

Yes, we're awaiting the publication of the Rules and Regulations of RA9258. Keep posted. God bless

Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology

This is the last of the two volumes of the Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology which I promised I'd blog in here. Please read along.

Philipine Journal of Counseling Psychology Vol. 4 February 2001
It costs only P100.00.


Table of Contents of the Philipine Journal of Counseling Psychology Vol. 4 November 2001

PJCP has volumes 3 (November 2000), and 5 (February 2003) which sold like hotcakes - we only have 1 copy of volume 5 left for our files, while there is only one copy of volume 3 available for disposal. I shall blog these two later as I still have to take pictures of these said volumes. In case you might want to order them, especially Vol. 5, do let us know so we can make a decision about reprinting them. Okey? God bless

Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology

Here are the other volumes available for your purchasing needs. The account you can use for purchasing is in the last picture. There are two more volumes I will place in the next blog. Happy reading. Hope this can help you now. God bless

Philipine Journal of Counseling Psychology Vol. 7 February 2005. It costs only P200.00.

Table of Contents of the Philipine Journal of Counseling Psychology Vol. 7 February 2005

Philipine Journal of Counseling Psychology Vol. 6 February 2004. It costs only P180.00.

Table of Contents of the Philipine Journal of Counseling Psychology Vol. 6 February 2004

You may check this document and using either of the bank accounts mentioned in there, you can deposit your payment in there, and then text me or fax your deposit slip to the contact numbers mentioned in this document too. So you may not worry about courier charges, you may add P80.00 for LBC. The next day, you'll have your PJCP. For international orders, I shall scout for the courier and the manner of payment so we can serve you too. The price will remain the same. It is the price for the freight that will have to make a difference. Okey?

Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology

I got a text message inquiring about available volumes of our Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology, and since the stocks are here with me in the seminary, let me place them here for your knowledge in case you may want to purchase them. Thanks to my celphone. I took these pictures below using my Nokia 6630. Bet you, aren't they clear enough?

I have here the cover of the volumes and their Table of Contents. Hope these can help you in your decision to purchase. Of course, PACERS membership entitles you a copy of these journals (I can send you the application form by email); otherwise, you may also request your school library to purchase a copy so many others can access the scientific literature inside.

I thought about advertising these via internet. But let me see what needs to be done before going into it. However, in case you may want to order them, just text me at 0919-6236605 (SMART), or 0927-3842739 (GLOBE). You may also inquire through my email address: berngu721@gmail.com

This is the latest volume of the Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology (Vol 9, No. 1 February 2007). It was launched during our Annual Convention at the Bayview Park Hotel in front of the US Embassy along Roxas Blvd. It costs P250.00 only.

This is the Table of Contents of PJCP Vol 9 No 1 February 2007.

Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology (Vol 8, No. 1 February 2006). It costs P220.00 only.

This is the Table of Contents of PJCP Vol 8 No 1 February 2006.

Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology (Vol 7, No. 1 February 2005). It costs P200.00 only.


I shall be putting the other available volumes of the PJCP in my next blogs. It looks like this one could only accommodate 5 pictures. Kerep reading. God bless

PGCA Events

I got word about the following events, but since the invitation letters were in a form not possible for attaching here, I almost forgot about them. But thanks to Dr. Perlie Polestico, the information was relayed again. Here it is:

1. PGCA National Summit on Guidance & Counseling Currilum
September 13-14, 2007
Silliman University

2. PGCA Midyear Workshop '07
October 24-26, 2007
Holiday Plaza, Cebu City

For reservation, contact Dr. Rose Llanes ( rosellanes29@yahoo.com) or Ms. Malou Chavez (mchavez@mc.edu.ph or (02) 435-9240 loc. 246).

All the best then. God bless

New PRC Commissioners Appointed!!!

This is very fresh news and has very important implications for Counseling in the Philippines. Dr. Rosa Ma. Llanes, current President of PGCA (Philippine Guidance & Counseling Association) as well as IPCAP (Integrated Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines)President has just texted me that the President (GMA) has appointed two Commissioners for the Professional Regulation Commission or PRC. The two are: Drs. Ruth Rana-Padilla, and Nilo Rosas. The name of the second appointee sounds familiar - wasn't he with DepEd?

This news has important implications to our profession of Counseling in the Philippines. Right now, the Rules & Regulations of RA9258 are already in the PRC Chair's (Dr. Rosero) table for signing. This RR needs the signature of the new Commissioners, after which it will see print in the Gazette and newspaper of national circulation. As soon as this RR gets signed, I shall be announcing it here because 15 days after publication, this RR will be implemented. The first implication is the Grandfather's Clause. Definitely, it will be implemented immediately. Hence those who are applying for the licensure sans the licensure exams as stipulated in RA9258 Article III Section 14 should ready their requirements. These shall be mentioned in the published RR. Please read it when it gets published for proper guidance. I shall announce it here when it sees print, especially in the newspapers.

PGCA will then start issuing certificates of active membership, as well as good moral character which are required in our application to the PRBGC or Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance and Counseling. I hope those who apply for the Grandfather's Clause will be granted so that we can practice Counseling sans legal hindrances. Also, I hope that those who will be taking the first Board exams in Guidance & Counseling will be prepared and pass the exams too. When it will be scheduled should also be mentioned in the published RR.

Wow! Wasn't this what we have been waiting for? All the best. May the Good Lord, our Counselor be with us in these days of frenzy. We've been into it last summer, so I bet we all know how to be more calm this time. Take care. God bless

DepEd Advisory Available Online

I got word tonight via email (thanks Jun Reyes) that the Advisory of the Department of Education (DepEd) for our PACERS Midyear Workshop in Davao is now available online. Please go to this site: http://www.deped.gov.ph/deped.asp?i=A to download your copy. The Advisory is No. 7 s 2007 MIDYEAR WORKSHOP OF THE PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION FOR COUNSELOR EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND SUPERVISION (PACERS).

We are still waiting for the release of the CHED Memorandum for the event. As soon as we have it, we shall announce it here. PACERS shall also ready a copy of the DepEd Advisory for you upon request during the Midyear event in Davao. Please pass this message to our colleagues. See you there. God bless

RA9258 posted in anther internet site

One Monday afternoon while in DLSU, I checked my email, and a Filipino PhD in Arizona contacted me about developments in our field of Counseling here in the Philippines. He mentioned that it was through this blog that he got information. I corresponded, and today he wrote that he downloaded RA9258 in http://www.vanguardofcounsellors.org/home . You may actually click it yourself and see that our law is there for others outside the country to read. Thanks Art for this service. Maybe this will be an opportunity for us to have contacts with Counseling as an international profession. Happy reading (well you should have read it yourself already). Just to let us know our law is read internationally. God bless

Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology

Yes, if you would like to purchase our Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology, do email me your requests so we can set aside a copy for you. If registered members haven't received their respective copies yet, do let me know so we can do the same for you. We launched a volume last 2007 Annual Convention. I shall post the available volumes for your purchasing needs. God bless

Complete Davao 2007 Midyear Workshop Invitation

Our Executive Secretary Dr. Leo Capeding was so kind he had the invitation letter and the second page, plus the Pre-Registration Form scanned, thereby making them downloadable here. All you do is to just click the said documents and you will be given a readable version which you can download as well as print for yourself. Here they are:

1. Cover letter:

2. Page two:3. Pre-Registration Form

Please feel free to pass this site to our fellow Counselors. God bless

Midyear 2007 Pre-Registration Form & Schedule

Hi Colleagues,
I was sent the Pre-registrration Form and the Program Schedule. In case you need these two pages, do email me and I'll download them for you. My email is berngu721@gmail.com

Yan na muna. Do share the site so others can download the Invite published before this. See you in Davao on Sept. 6-7, 2007. God bless

PACERS Midyear Workshops Invitation Letter

Yesterday July 6, 2007, the letter of the PACERS Chair was released, and for our purposes, here at the left is the said letter. Just put your mouse over it and click it. You will be shown a window where the letter can be read well.

If you have any questions, needs, you can email me at berngu721@gmail.com The Pre-Registration forms are already ready and if needed, I shall find a way to have it published here so you can download it and have it printed for yourself.

See you then this coming Sept. 6-7 in Davao. The Workshops are all for you. God bless

Curriculum Forum #2

I received an invitation to a Curriculum Forum, but since it comes in a format not downloadable here, let me copy it for you:

June 25, 2007

Dear Colleagues,

This is to invite you to attend the Curriculum Forum at the Southville International School and Colleges, 1281 Tropical Avenue corner Luxembourg Street, BF International, Las Pinas City.

The sessions will be held at the Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH) 4th Floor College Building on July 9, 2007 at 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. The main objective of this forum is to standardize the curriculum and syllabi of the masters and doctoral degrees in counseling. Please bring with you a copy of your curriculum, syllabi and other related materials. The registration fee is PhP1000. You may pay at PNB Current Account No. 00-275-830563-8 and fax the deposit slip to 931-0280.

For further inquiry, you may contact Ms. Janice Albano, PGCA secretary at 931-0280 or Ms. Belen Mandin at 820-8702 local 135 or 0917-9224183 or Ms Len at 820-8714.

Anticipating your participation in this historical event.

Very truly yours,

Sgd. Dr. Rosa Maria I. Llanes

President, Philippines Guidance and Counseling Association, Inc.

Sgd. Dr. Rhodelia L. Gabriel

Chair, Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance & Counseling

HELP University College, Malaysia needs help

One of my colleagues, Dr. Susan Estanislao emailed me this article from Dr. Joal Reyes who's currently in Kuala Lumpur who asked her to have the following matter posted in our PACERS website. I thought it may also reach other people, hence, I had it posted here. Hope many can have access to this opportunity, and in the process lead towards the Reciprocity accords between Malaysia and the Philippines in the near future. Remember RA9258's provision on Reciprocity? See Article IV Section 29 of the Guidance & Counseling Act of 2004 in my Feb 28, 2007 blog here. God bless

HELP University College invites you to apply to theVisiting Lecturer Program.

The Visiting Lecturer Program is offered to provide scholars in the field of counseling/counseling psychology with an opportunity to lecture in the Masters in Counseling program and the undergraduate programs in Psychology of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences at HELP University College, Malaysia. Opportunities to conduct research and provide counseling services may also be arranged.
Eligibility of Applicants:
- Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology or related field.
- MA in Counseling Psychology degree holders may apply as long as they have accumulated at least 5 years of teaching experience in the graduate level.
- Experience in teaching MA level courses in counseling.
- Experience in teaching undergraduate courses in psychology.
- Experience in the delivery of counseling services and supervision of counselor trainees.

Honorarium:
This will be decided upon consideration of the applicant’s credentials.

Assistance:
International airfare (round trip between Kuala Lumpur and the country where lecturer resides)

Duration of the program:
One year to two years.

Requirements:
Please send your application letter and curriculum vitae to:

Dr. Goh Chee Leong
Dean, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
HELP University College
BZ-2 Pusat Bandar Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Applications may be sent through e-mail. Please send e-mail to: gohcl@help.edu.my

Deadline and Selection Process:
Letter of interest must be submitted no later than July 30, 2007.
Processing of applications by the selection committee (evaluation of CVs and interviews) will start August 1.

Successful applicants will be notified by the first week of September.

PACERS Activities for Year 2007-2008

I had this blogged after our PACERS 2007 Planning Workshop in Tala, Rizal, Laguna. I want to put it here again so as to keep us always in sync with what is coming.

The PACERS Midyear Workshops (at least 4) will be held in Davao City on September 6-7, 2007. The site might be Hotel Minseng (I hope my spelling is correct). The invitation letter is already on its final stage before we release it for everyone. You shall definitely be sent, and it shall be blogged here for everyone to read. Let us know where and how we can send you the invite.

The PACERS 32nd Annual Convention next year is scheduled on Feb. 20-22, 2008. We will still deliberate on the site and the theme. We usually start at 11AM for registration and have the Opening in the afternoon of the 1st day (Feb.20), and it will last until Friday afternoon, capped by the workshops on the third day. We are still to deliberate on the theme, and the site. We shall immediately inform you once we have laid down the theme and then the site. Keep updated.

If you have suggested themes and workshop topics, please feel free to suggest so we can prepare them for you. My email addresses you can write to are: berngu721@yahoo.com & berngu721@gmail.com .

We have monthly Board meetings every 4th Friday of the month. You may submit your applications for membership on the first week of the month so we can evaluate and deliberate on them the monthly meeting. We should find it fast to contact you after the decision shall have been made on your application. It's our joy to be of service to you and the profession.

And lastly, please pray for our Counselors. Many of them may be adversely affected by RA9258 especially since some may not have the requirements for the Board exams, the passing of which allows them the right to practice Counseling. I got word that some of them may be out for some drastic efforts that may only sabotage their own interests, a boomerang of sorts, if that were a more apt image. I really suggest we simply comply by every requirement at this stage of the professionalization of Counseling, and then correct ourselves and our practice including the law as we move ahead. Stalling it at this stage may no longer be appropriate. I'd like to believe that every effort has been done to disseminate the necessary information for everyone.

God bless us all. Take care

New PGCA Board Elected!

In a phone conversation with PGCA President Dr. Rosa Maria Llanes this morning, she mentioned the possibility of announcing here in my blog the following PGCA-elected Board Members who elected among themselves to their new positions yesterday June 8, 2007:

President : Dr. Rosa Maria I. Llanes
Vice-President : Dr. Imelda Virginia G. Villar
Secretary : Ms. Maria Lourdes L. Chavez, M.A.
Treasurer : Dr. Lucy Bance
Business Manager : Dr. Carmencita H. Salonga
Auditor : Dr. Alexa P. Abrenica
P.R.O. : Dr. Alda Perlita S. Polestico

Members of the Board:
Dr. Benedicta O. Lascano
Sr. Dr. Alegria Z. Avellaneda, SPS
Dr. Ligaya S. De Guzman
Dr. Leticia Peñano-Ho

I wish for this new Board to work as hard as they used to, primarily for the professionalization of Guidance & Counseling in the Philippines. In my previous blog, I wrote about those who came for IPCAP last March 17, 2007 and the request that the current and newly-elected President be given by the PGCA a chance to serve again since she seems to be the best for the process we're all into now. Thanks for heeding that request (if ever you did). I think PGCA did because the whole Board ran again and won! Congratulations! You can rest assured that I shall keep you all in my Masses, especially now that I am too a member of the PGCA, even if only an Affiliate. God bless your efforts. If I may quote St. Peter (1 Ptr 3:13, 7 [New Jerusalem Bible, 1985]) here: "No one can hurt you if you are determined to do only what is right; and blessed are you if you have to suffer for being upright...And if it is by the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing wrong." All the best then.

CDAP Learning Session

Here is an event CDAP wants to make prior to the Annual Convention Workshop in Sept. Just click on the image and it will be enlarged so everyone can read it. You may share the blog to others who may want to grow as Counselors primarily in the area of Career Counseling & Development. It's a pleasure to serve our fellow Counselors. God bless

Really Amazing Service!!!

After posting the CDAP Annual Convention Workshop Invite, I checked the blog. I felt a little disappointed because it seemed unreadable. But when I placed the mouse over the jpeg-format letter, I clicked it and PRESTO! The letter was shown even bigger in a new window. Hope this new development can help in helping everyone understand what it says. TRY IT and see for yourself.

All the best then to CDAP. God bless

CDAP Annual Convention Workshop Invite

In response to Dr. Vangie Aguilan's text message requesting for a copy of the CDAP Annual Convention Workshop invitation, I texted Ms Ces Regaya, one of CDAP's representatives to IPCAP, (and it was only after I saw the following invitation did I realize she is the current President of Career Development Association of the Philippines), and in the quickest time she had the following emailed to me. Here it is:

I got the reply slip as well. But the format it has is not compatible with this blogging system. However, if you would like to personally receive the invitation letter, please email the President Ces Regaya at her email address cregaya@yahoo.com

God bless

In just a few weeks more

Yes, I just came from the PGCA Annual Convention. That was really an event to reckon with in terms of attendance. I heard people telling me that because attendance was made a must, hence many counselors literally made it into a blockbuster! One of the speakers, Fr. Aquino, mentioned that it should have been held in Araneta Coliseum!

It was announced in there that as of now, the PRB's Rules and Regulations are now with the PRC just awaiting one PRC Commissioner's signature more before it gets published (unless there will be another recommendation for revision after its having gone through 13 revisions!). PGCA is lending P50,000 to the PRB for its publication. Now, 15 days after its publication, the process of applying for the Grandfather's Clause shall begin. And so with applications for the Board Exams which are targeted to be held come January 2008. So those affected among us, be watchful and ready with your requirements. As soon as I get the next news on this, I shall immediately blog it in. In the meantime, let's do our best in our work of Counseling our clients to the best that we can. And let's be conscious of the ethics we practice because that's the next issue to be looked into, together with the Standards of Good Practice.

God bless

An Invitation to a Curriculum Forum

Yes, I just got an official invitation letter (sans the signatures of the invitees - see letter below) through the PGCA Secretary Janice Albano, from PGCA President Dr. Rosa Maria Llanes and PRBGC Chair Dr. Rhodelia Gabriel to a Curriculum Forum . The content of this Forum would be very important for school personnel involved in revising their respective curricula for Guidance & Counseling departments. Counselors are one of them since we also have to look into the curricula we ha've had in our trainings. So please pass this message to our colleagues and respective administrators in particular so this event be well attended. Here is the letter:

May 17, 2007

Dear Colleagues,

This is to invite you to attend the Curriculum Forum at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Intramuros, Manila on May 29, 2007 at 8:00 a.m-5:00p.m. The objective is to standardize the curriculum and syllabi of the master’s and doctoral degrees. Please bring your curriculum, syllabi and other related materials. The registration fee is Php1000. You may pay at PNB Current Account No. 00-275-830563-8 and fax the deposit slip to fax no. 931-02-80.

For further inquiry, you may contact Ms. Janice Albano, PGCA secretary at 931-02-80 or Ms. Erlinda Pontilar at Letran at 527-76-93 loc.21 or 09155777242.

Anticipating your participation in this historical event.

Very truly yours

Dr. Rosa Maria I. Llanes
President, Philippine Guidance and
Counseling Association, Inc.


Dr. Rhodelia L. Gabriel
Chair, Professional Regulatory Board
of Guidance and Counseling

An Advocacy for Nationalism & Service

This thought occupied me while watching one priest announced by COMELEC as the elected Governor of Pampanga: Fr. Ed "Among" Panlilio. The announcer was saying in the following words not necessarily verbatim: With a vote of ...over so and so's votes of ...the newly elected Governor of Pampanga is Fr. Ed "Among" Panlilio...

Oh, so what was happening did take place: the surge of grassroot support for Among as well as the negative propaganda right on the day before the elections which I read on the popers! I've heard a Kapampangan tell me "Father, it's a choice between this type of candidate over that type of candidate. Since both alternatives do not speak well of us, so we Kapampangans want to have a better identity. We shun what's wrong, we choose a better alternative. Or else, what will people say about us? If we are left choosing between the two only, then we shall have given our yes to their activities."

I am writing these thoughts here as a responsible member of the community, particularly as a Counselor. If my views about the matter can be clarified through this blog, then it should belong here. Counselors also are called to have some advocacies, and I believe this is one area I'd like to advocate for a better, guilt-free and forward-looking electoral action as a responsible person for the common good.

I used to hear whenever elections get over in some other country that after announcing the number of votes, the fact of election gets to have a stronger push with the words "We have a new Governor..." The whole electoral exercise we all did together as an action of all legitimate constituents for the good of their country or locality: to choose someone who can do the task of governance. Each one counts in the whole process, and when everyone's voice who came to say it through the ballot has been accounted and heard, the acknowledgment of having a new Governor or any official for that matter through the elections is an affirmation of our unity as a people. Unfortunately, we don't get to have that feeling when the number of those who chose this or that candidate gets more emphasized over the fact that we came together and chose who was thought better for the task that can give us a better identity. No wonder, we keep on saying we have no unity. The numbers, no matter how higher than the next candidate's votes only speak of the diversity of opinions. Since we are a democracy, the majority vote speaks, representing the better side of the whole. This commitment to the majority indeed raises the whole exercise into choosing for ourselves someone to lead us. The numbers thus only get to emphasize the division, not the communal action for the common good. So maybe, as soon as the votes speak, the announcer may need to say without fear and gladly: "We have a new President..." In this way, even those who voted for the other candidate gets to understand that now they must subdue their wills before the will of the majority.

This latter process becomes difficult with the thought of vote buying and coercion before or during the voting, and even during the canvassing! When the number of votes gets priority over the communal action of choosing our leaders, vote buying and coercion becomes a necessary medium. But if the emphasis is on our communal action for the common welfare, vote buying and coercion become really unacceptable behaviors, and we rise to a better feeling of belonging and responsibility.

We are no longer children with childish mentality or mind sets. We are responsible adults. A new way of thinking may be necessary in the process so that we can get the feeling of having achieved what we deeply long for inside us. God bless

Book & Journals at the PGCA Convention

This coming May 23, 2007 I shall be attending my 1st PGCA Annual Convention. This should be an exciting event, knowing that we have become members of this organization because of its being currently the Interim APO or accredited professional organization. I know there are some of us who would also want to take this chance of getting some materials for our use in the field. Hence, I have suggested to PACERS that we bring along some volumes of the Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology (PJCP). Since I have some volumes of Dr. Vangie Aguilan's book on Multicultural Counseling, am also contemplating of bringing the copies here so that those who might want to work on the area can find in this resource the needed ideas. Dr. Vangie's book costs P300, while the PJCP has varied prices depending on the "recentness" of the volume. The older the cheaper. I think we also have a retail scheme on a bargain mode.

If you would like to inquire or buy any of these books, please feel free to reserve with me at any of my celphone numbers: (0919-6236605 [SMART]; or 0927-3842739 [GLOBE]). Or else feel free to email me at my two email addresses: berngu721@yahoo.com or berngu721@gmail.com
It should be my joy to help you have these volumes for our ongoing education in Counseling.

PACERS Visits Dr. Naomi Ruiz

The 7 in the picture are from the left going right (seated): Drs. Naomi Ruiz & Carmen Pabiton, both past Presidents of PACERS. Standing are Marichel (Dr. Ruiz's eldest daughter), myself, Director Joey of DLSU's Center for Counseling, Dr. Susan Estanislao & Dr. Ruiz's son Bobby. On this pic are the Tres Marias of PACERS: Dr. Naomi Ruiz at the center, Drs. Pabiton & Estanislao.

Dr. Ruiz was instrumental in my entry to PACERS. I remember her for inviting us to attend the PACERS Annual Convention in 1996 which was held at Robinson's Galleria, the theme of which was Megatrends in Counseling.

One Sunday two weeks ago, Dr. Irma Coronel texted Dr. Pabiton about Dr. Ruiz . Their house was burned down, and Dr. Ruiz brought NOTHING from their house except the dog that stays with her. Her husband and son Bobby were out at that time, and Dr. Ruiz was alone in the house with their helper. With the help of some men in the neighborhood, Dr. Ruiz was carried out of the burning house. And to think that their house wasn't insured! The visit was then apt because this lady, who's now into her late 70's (in two years she'll be starting the eighth decade of her life - guess her age!) has been our Chair at the Counseling & Educational Psychology Department of DLSU's College of Education. When I entered DLSU in 1995, she was then the Chair. She eventually taught me my first Counseling Techniques subject. The following year, she also taught me Family Therapy. Such ties still bind in me. I remember her for sharing with us that whenever she was pregnant, she got promoted. She was for me one person who witnessed the reality of Divine Providence.

During the visit, I also gathered that her first child, Marichel was a miracle baby. Dr. Naomi was married two years already and had no child yet. She was diagnosed having an infantile uterus. Faith came in, and her first baby was given. And the next deliveries were really painful because her first delivery was almost fatal due to the anaesthesia given her. Hence, deliveries without anaesthesia she underwent for the next child given them. Dr. Naomi once mentioned in the conversation that "I don't believe that sufferings should be taken out of our experience." She was one who experienced herself the wisdom of suffering: an occasion to show that God indeed takes over in our weakness. His will is really paramount. Wow! This visit has almost been a pilgrimage in faith to a woman who shown me the advantage of having a strong faith while serving others as a Counselor. Thanks a lot, Dr. Naomi for your motherly Christian sharing. May your long life be filled with joy and wisdom. Hope to see you during our Annual Convention next year. God bless