IPCAP MEETS THE PRC

For the past four days since the Hit Counter was installed, I noticed that from the time I open the blog, there have been consistently TEN readers in the first hour of the day. Whoever you are, thank you for following up matters in this blog. It is my pleasure to do this because the Guidance and Counseling profession in the Philippines is in its initial (baby/infant) phase, and I believe we deserve to start in the right direction. Guidance Counselors are people who are to be trusted, and if we begin this profession on the wrong foot, part of that trust may be in peril.

Last Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Nilo Rosas welcomed us into his office. Present were the IPCAP Board of Trustees who represent their respective organizations in a personal manner: Dr. Rose Llanes, RGC (PGCA), Dr. Elvira Ramos, RGC (CDAP), Dr. Nena Barrera, RGC (PAPSHP), Cesar Cong, RGC (PACC), Avelina L. Mandin, RGC (GCC), Dr. Perlie Polestico (PGCA/FCAP) and Sr. Leticia Allado (RGS). There are currently nine members of the IPCAP Board of Trustees including Mr. James Tan of FPCAP, and Dr. Julian Montano of PACERS. I was there as Secretary of IPCAP and also for PACERS. We were all happy to note that WE ARE ALL PGCA too. We took our oath. We were given the Certificate of Membership. And yes, let this be said again as I said many times in my previous blogs: Thanks to PGCA for its service to the profession.

Dr. Nilo Rosas himself framed the meeting in these words as he welcomed us into his office since the PRC Conference Room was occupied: to thresh out issues and discuss the Guidance and Counseling profession in the Philippines. The first ten minutes appeared to be our rapport building stage, after which Atty. Carlos Almelor was brought in since he is PRC's "institutional memory." Atty. Almelor discussed the points from the legal point of view, being "of legal mind," and the dialogue ensued. Among the points which I specifically underlined included the following: (1) the fact of obliging all RGC’s to be PGCA members, applying surreptitiously the legal stipulation of automatic membership therein despite the fact that PGCA is not the APO but only interim; (2) that we were not consulted about it, and (c) there was no introduction of the organization to us in order for us to make a choice.

One of the questions that was raised was Atty. Almelor's note that the interim APO has "priority" in becoming APO: "just what do you mean by "priority"?" Then he started to note that actually there are three probable directions to go: (a) dissolve all organizations to come up with an APO - to which there was a comment that this is tyrannical and dissolution may not be that simple; (b) elect from among the organizations who shall be the APO. Of course, PGCA is the run-away winner, what with everybody forced in despite the fact that she is not the APO but only interim APO; and the third was forgotten by Dr. Nilo Rosas when he mentioned it at the first ten minutes. This third direction was also not explicitly mentioned, but I bet what you have in mind might be the same as mine.

Sr. Letty went straight to the point, and let me account for it as I still remember: she prefaced it with the thought that it's actually better were we all simple and uneducated because we live within our natural resources, but the moment education comes in, one notes that there are interests involved that clutters the relationships, including the economic and political angles. In simple terms, money and leadership. Leadership becomes that of a clique's but when someone comes in and notices that something is wrong, that person is ostracized and persecuted, talked about negatively (in Tagalog, sinisiraan) to the point that the message conveyed becomes cluttered and muddled. Didn't I remember Jesus alluded to in this statement?

The discussions then went into the conditions of the APO's in the Philippines: that in some professions, there have been organizational conflicts, but resolutions were reached, and that there is a history among organizations which shows the propensity for being found with "hands in the cookie jar," in short financial improprities. Atty. Almelor noted that one of the requirements for an APO to be renewed or accepted is the audited financial report. This thus becomes a very ticklish portion in the process, and yes I prayed that there be no fishy business involved in the process. I hope we uphold professionalism, which the PRC seems to really pursue, hence the renewal of APO-hood every 3 years. IPCAP managed to present its understanding of the situation and the conditions obtaining our present situation.

The one hour and a half meeting ended with a meeting with Dr. Rosas next week where Presidents or their representatives will decide on the mechanics needed to resolve this matter on the APO. Sr. Letty was requested by Dr. Rosas to convene the meeting in the RGS compound.

Evaluating the event, I realize that the PRC officers whom we dialogued with were open and ready to face the truth. At first, they sounded really bent on one side. But after we have presented what we know to be true and objectively substantiated with data, I saw a change in perspective. In fact, if I were to mention this here, Dr. Rosas had even mentioned to Dr. Villar in his meeting with the PGCA Board together with the PRBGC in a hotel here in Manila last week to answer my questions. What was even more interesting was the requirement that organizations tell everything to its members. This is a challenge all of us in organizations will have to practice if we are to remain intact in our integrity and professionalism.

Let me herein suggest that if the planned meeting were to be any fruitful and direct, let all the organizational Presidents or their representatives bring along their respective SEC certificates of incorporation, their Constitution and By-Laws, and their audited reports. In this way, it would be easier to choose, neither because of numbers nor history but because of integrity and consistency, the REAL APO. Let’s face it: PGCA has the numbers which it got albeit in a manner on question at this time, and the history, but maybe without sufficient documentary and consistent integrity. We could have avoided this problem if at the beginning there was honesty and clarity of intentions backed by a solid grounding. No amount of numbers or history will ever suffice to survive if the spirit of professionalism is not there.

Let's pray that the Presidents or their representatives in that meeting think about the bigger majority, i.e., their organization's members, and their Constitutions before they ever commit anything. We have laws that govern us, and authorized people to follow the law, and it is their sworn duty to uphold everyone's well-being.