Some IPCAP Meetings' Pictures

Although this picture looks a little blurd, we were quite a number in that meeting last March 17, 2007 here in Christ the King Seminary. In the morning, we actually had the CEFAM administrators. Sayang, we could have taken a picture together with them. Anyway.


In our deliberations on the IPCAP Constitutions, it was Dr. Llanes at the helm. Sr. Florence, RGS and Dr. Chit Salonga have their backs on the left side while the hand with the cellphone appears to be Dr. Llanes' secretary, Janice Albano. This was taken last April 28, 2007 at the RGS Convent at Cubao, Q.C.
This is so far the clearest of the pictures we have taken last April 28, 2007 at the same site: starting from left seated are Dr. Perlie Polestico, Dr. Linda Bubod, myself, Dr. Chit Salonga and Sr. Florence, RGS. Standing are Dr. Llanes and her secretary Janice Albano.



For those who might want to join us, we have another session come May 6, 2007, a Sunday here in Christ the King Seminary, from 10AM - maybe 7 or 9PM. You may text me about your coming so we can prepare your meals, all charge to the PGCA as APO. This is where our payments go: feeding those who work for the good of the profession as well as the Integrated Association Constitution & By-Laws. Text me at 0919-6236605 (Smart), or 0927-3842739 (Globe). Or you may email me at berngu721@gmail.com. God bless

Postponed? Rewritten

After reading my last blog entitled POSTPONED? I thought of rewriting it. It sounded a little rough and might be offensive to the one who did the text messaging. Here is a rewrite-up.

Dr. Perlie Polestico forwarded me a text message which has been roaming since yesterday daw. It read: "The PGCA national convention of guidance counselors this May 23 has been postponed-" Honestly, nabigla ako. Di man lang nagpakilala kung sino yung nagpadala sa kanya. Sayang di ko siya tuloy makilala. What a lost chance!

The PGCA Board members who were there yesterday as we deliberated on the IPCAP Constitution told me that the PGCA Board has not made any decision to postpone the Annual Convention scheduled on May 23-25, 2007. In fact, it is well on its way as scheduled. The souvenir program is currently being worked on, and the PRO, Dr. Chit Salonga has not sent any message like that.

What does that text message then mean? Maybe that person may have a lot to explain. I will wait for the explanation. I am a paying PGCA member and I would like to think that the PGCA is not fond of "kuryente" - you know what I mean.

Sige, it's lunch already. See you at the Annual Convention. Our presence there is a sign of our active membership which PGCA as APO will certify. God bless

POSTPONED?

Dr. Perlie Polestico, current PGCA Board member involved in the Membership Comittee has just passed me this morning a text message which has been roaming around about yesterday. It goes this way: "The PGCA National Convention of Guidance Counselors this May 23 has been postponed."

RELAX! My comment is this: Whoever has started this text has not just wasted his/her money because the PGCA Annual Convention on May 23-25 WILL GO ON AS SCHEDULED. I got this CONFIRMATION during our meeting yesterday at RGS Convent in Cubao. This is a task which the PGCA PRO Dr. Chit Salonga has not done. She was there in the meeting yesterday!!! Whoever started this message may either be INSANE or HAS AGGRANDIZED UNTO ONESELF A TASK WHICH BELONGS ONLY TO THE PGCA BOARD! Or is that person trying to say that the PGCA Board has now become something other than what it is: an APO!

Hence if I may suggest this as a paying PGCA member: the PGCA Board should make a resolution that TEXT MESSAGING SHALL NOT BE USED AS A MEDIUM TO COMMUNICATE such OFFICIAL NOTICES! Hence, any text message like these in the future should be labeled as "kuryente." Maybe the one who wrote this needs that psychiatric treatment, yung kinukuryente ba para magbago ang chemical composition ng brain niya! Joke only po (seriously!).

God, bless us with good Counselors, people who are trained, competent and most of all SANE.

Before I forget, let me share this. I read somewhere before that PSYCHIATRISTS have the highest number of SUICIDES. That is, among those who commit suicide, the highest number was by psychiatrists.

What am I saying here?

We as Counselors may be vulnerable to the toxins that get into our system by virtue of exposure. As we deal with our clients, it is essential, not just important, that we have our own debriefing. That is what supervision is all about. That is what we are called to CONSTANTLY MAINTAIN in our quality and excellent counseling services. In fact, our own Counseling should be embedded into the training so that we ourselves continue to be effective Counselors. God bless

IPCAP Constitution Drafting

Yes, we've been into it for months now. While we may have been stalled in its drafting due to more urgent concerns in the past months (from October 2006 up to February 2007), we finally started to make headway starting last March 17. And yesterday, April 28, we had our second session. We have chosen three names (for SEC registration purposes): IPCAP or Integrated Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines, the PCAP or Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines, and the APCP or Association of Professional Counselors of the Philippines. We are doing this in compliance with RA9258 Section 21's provision for "one (1) and only registered and accredited national organization of registered/licensed guidance counselors which the Board, subject to approval by the Commission, shall recognize and accredit after consultation with all existing organizations of registered and licensed guidance counselors and, if possible, with all those who are not members of any of the said organization." This undertaking has already started last year February 2006 under the able leadership of the current Accredited Professional Organization (APO) PGCA President Dr. Rosa Ma. Llanes. Just a little review of history, 6 counseling-related organizations have been coming together since then to organize this, namely: PGCA, PACERS, PACC, GCP, CDAP, and PNU's PAPSHP. Other counseling-related organizations are welcome to this undertaking. In fact, one of the reasons for the delay of this constitution's formulation was in order for other counseling-related orgs to come and join. The invitation remains up to this time. The said currently-drafted Constitution will have to be ratified by all counselors as well as submitted to the PRBGC and PRC for approval.

You might ask what shall happen to PGCA?

Currently, as of Nov. 16, 2005, PGCA has been granted its stature as APO, and as such, it has spearheaded the efforts to organize the IPCAP in compliance with RA9258 Section 21's provisions. While it has been at the forefront for the professionalization of guidance & counseling, it also currently has the largest number of members nationwide. When the IPCAP shall have been approved, PGCA shall then become only one of the counseling-related organizations. Counseling-related organizations, for them to "survive" shall then have to work towards specialization. If I may volunteer a thought here, for example, PACERS will have then to be clear about its specialty - counselor education, research and supervision. CDAP shall also then have to specialize in career development concerns. In our February 2007 meeting at Christ the King Seminary, CEFAM came in, and in the future, might be the specialist on Family and Marital Counseling specialist organization. PGCA as of now has members who cannot be licensed due to their not being MA-graduates. Even then, it can continue to serve as the organization where our future counselors can continue to update and belong. One can now see that Counseling in the Philippines shall then have to evolve, if it has to remain relevant and apt in its vision to be a catalyst for the enhancement of the mental health of every member in the Philippine society.

I pray then that everyone involved, particularly the Counselors, participate in the formulation of IPCAP's Constitution, and continually update themselves on this matter since they will inevitably be affected.

Among those effects will the the sense of "belonging." What do I mean here?

In our deliberations yesterday as to IPCAP's organizational structure, we have thought about developing "regional councils" which shall be organized through the "regional assembly" which shall meet annually. We have temporarily identified four regional councils: Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and NCR (you might think about imperial Manila here haha). The current APO, the PGCA shall then have to ensure that these said regional councils shall be duly constituted. The current PGCA as APO Membership Committee shall be a key group in working towards this direction since they have the current roster of registered Counselors.

The regional assembly shall elect 11 members of the Council, with the following positions: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor, Business Manager, PRO, and four other Board Members. All four regional council presidents (L, V, M, NCR) shall then be official candidates for election to the Chairmanship of the Governing Board. The prevailing sentiment is for the Governing Board Chair and Vice-Chair be "nationally elected" (much like the President of the Philippines) during the annual regional assembly or convention, and shall serve only ONE TERM, without re-election. Now, there will be two Presidents whose positions in their regional councils shall have to be taken over by their respective Vice-Presidents. Those two affected regional councils shall then have to have two Vice-Presidents, the first will have the right of succession when their President gets elected as Chair or Vice-Chair in the Governing Board. The second Vice-President shall then become the Vice-President of the regional council. The Governing Board shall basically be the policy-making body of this integrated organization.

We are currently forming the Executive Committee (Execom) on the national and local levels. There is a suggestion that once the Chair and Vice-Chair shall have been elected, together with the regional council presidents as Governing Board, its first act is to appoint the Secretary of the Governing Board. The Secretary of the Governing Board shall automatically become the Executive Director of the Executive Committee. There shall likewise be appointed two more Execom members: a Finance Officer, and an Administrative Officer who shall be the Secretary of the Execom. Execom staff or co-workers shall then be hired. The Secretary of the Governing Board shall not have voting rights in the Governing Board. Whatever the Execom does shall always be under the inspiration and supervision of the Governing Board. The same shall be done in the regional councils so that work for Counseling shall be done. Members can then expect the right service entitled to them. Remember, members pay! So they get served. And, yes before I forget, the Execom shall also be paid regularly. The idea is that it should be freed from any interest that may accumulate due to the impact of the position such as personal interests that may go against organizational and professional interests.

A Manual of Operations shall be constructed to guide the operations of the organization. We cannot afford individual personalities infringing on the fulfillment of the powers vested in the Governing Board as well as regional councils. As counselors, we are challenged to work as cleanly as possible, since we are, and will continue to be persons in the best position to influence others. When we talk of mental health, we include moral health as well. This is a mandate which we all share with the first Counselor, Christ Himself.

Pray we succeed. God bless

Updates on Requirements for the Grandfather's Clause

Ms. Janice Albano, Secretary of the PGCA President Dr. Rose Llanes sent me this email about Requirements for the Grandfather's Clause:

1. Certificate of live Birth in National Statistics Office (NSO)
2. Marriage Contract in NSO Security Paper for married female applicants
3. College Diploma with indication therein of graduation date and special Order Number unless it is not required.
4. Transcript of Records with indication therein of date of graduation and special Order Number unless it is not required
5. Certificate of Good Moral Character from the employer and two other certifications in his/her community, one of which must be issued by the Barangay Captain/Chairman in the Community where the applicant resides or works;
6. Ombudsman and NBI Clearance for government employees
7. NBI for private employees
8. Certificates of Active Membership and Good Moral Character from the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA), Accredited Professional Organization (APO) to be issued by the president and (2) other officers
9. Two (2) copies of Passport size I.D. picture with name tag
10. Certificate of Employment (get from past if new backtrack to 7 yrs.)
11. Certificate of Good Moral (get from past if new backtrack to 7 yrs.)

I was able to gather most of these requirements. I called up NSO Helpline Plus for my NSO Birth Certificate Security Paper. You can dial the number (02) 737-1111, just be a little patient and there shall be someone to entertain your request so that you need not line up there at NSO. Of course you will be inquired pertinent questions regarding the document you're requesting NSO to provide you sans the long cuing at NSO Offices. It only cost me P300; the document shall be mailed to me in 4 working days. The payment is made through any Metrobank branch. NSO shall begin work a day after you pay the charges. I've done this way back 2001 and believe you me, they do a wonderful job.

Yes, as regards requirement # 9 above, I also went to the Photo studio, and guess what? The pictures were ready in 15 mins!!! The name tag was done through the computer. What wonders our modern technology can do. Before it used to be one hour waiting time; even earlier, some days later. Now, 15 minutes, pwede ka pang iretoke! Joke only. No need to carry the name tag like Erap did when he was arrested. Thanks to the personnel at that studio. Hurry before it's too late. God bless

APRIL 18, 2007 GUIDANCE FORUM

For those among you who've been following up regarding updates on the Guidance & Counseling developments, allow me to print here the scanned letter above from the Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance & Counseling regarding the upcoming Guidance Forum scheduled on April 18 at FEU, Manila. The schedule shall be printed below after the letter. Here they are:

Republic of the Philippines

Professional Regulation Commission

March 26, 2007

Dear _________,

The Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance & Counseling has been installed which signals the full implementation of RA 9258 known as the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004 and the Implementation of Rules and Regulations specifically the following:

• qualifications for hiring and appointment of guidance counselors
• standards of practice
• code of ethics
• counselors' competencies
• curriculum
• licensure details

You are invited to a Guidance Forum on April 18, 2007 from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at the Far Eastern University, Morayta St., Metro Manila. The registration fee is Php1000.

Anticipating your presence on this occasion.

Very truly yours,

Sgd. Dr. Rhodelia L. Gabriel

Chair, Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance & Counseling

Sgd. Dr. Rosa Maria I. Llanes

President, Philippine Guidance & Counseling Association

The schedule is as follows:

Guidance Forum

Program of Activities

7 A.M. Registration

8 A.M. Opening Ceremonies

Invocation

National Anthem

Welcome Remarks

Introduction of Participants

Introduction of Keynote Speaker

Keynote Address

Orientation to the Forum

Presentation of Professional Regulatory Board (PRB) Members

Presentation of Philippine Guidance & Counseling Association

(PGCA) Officers

9:00 A.M. - 12:00 Plenary Session 1

PRB-PRC Roles in the Licensure

Guidance and Counseling Act 2004

Implementing Rules & Regulations

Implications of the Law on Public Schools

Open Forum

12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. Lunch Break

1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. Plenary Session 2

Implications on Permanent Guidance Counselors Who

Are Not Qualified Based on the Law

Public Sector

Private Sector

Implications of the Law on TESDA

Open Forum

Counselors' Competencies Survey

2:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Plenary Session 3

Standards of Practice

Code of Ethics

Open Forum

4:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Closing Ceremonies

Awarding of Certificates

Closing Remards

Thus far the announcements. God bless