Responses to the Matters at Hand & My responses

Allow me to share here what have been said about the blogs related to "Open Letter..." and "Text Brigade..." as well as my responses. They help clarify how others look at this matter. Happy reading.

1. Dear Fr. Bernie,

I am due to file my requirements soon to avail of the grandfather clause. Bakit nga ba hindi natin binigyan ng pansin yun APO accreditation ng PGCA. You have a very strong argument there. I wrote to ask permission to repost your blog on my multiply blog page?

Thank you for your prompt reply.

My reply:

Peace!
Thanks for your email. Yes, by all means, help us in letting everyone know the situation. It's high time all Guidance Counselors look into this matter because the PRBGC may have failed to do so (they're in their 70's, no blame for their age), and PGCA may have lorded things over everyone without the right basis. The generosity of the Grandfather's Clause may have been curtailed by the Grandmothers (di ba ganon din naman sa tunay na buhay? hehe). The Grandfather is written but it is the living Grandmothers who implement the testament hehe.

There is a text brigade going on and hope you read my blog again on that. I shall just polish it, and if it's alright with you, let me blog your request and your name will be kept confidential unless you yourself say so in your site. Your permission shall be sought when people want to know who wrote what? Hope that's fine with you.

By the way, what's your organizational affiliation - if you have one? IPCAP currently has RGC's from the following Guidance and Counseling-related organizations: PGCA, PACERS, PACC, GCC, FPCAP, CDAP, RGS, i.e., respectively: Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association, Philippine Association for Counselor Education, Research and Supervision, Philippine Association for Christian Counseling, Guidance Counseling Circle, Family and Pastoral Counselors Association of the Philippines, Career Development Association of the Philippines, and the Religious of the Good Shepherd (a congregation of nunns doing the community counseling, with particular specialty counseling for unwed mothers and premaritally impregnated women as their charism. I am a life member of PACERS and former President of the org until 2008 (two years). All the best and God bless


2. thanks for replying fast. thought your last name is gu. hehehe bern gu? i am affiliated with phil. assn of christian counselors where cesar cong and jane lee are colleagues. we were fellow pioneers of door of hope counseling resource center at medical plaza makati. uh -oh, i remember i have to renew my membership with pacc. well, i got my membership too with pgcs from their previous convention. kasi it was a "requirement" nga di ba to get one national convention from them, an accredited apo or so i thought. it's perfecty fine to blog my request in your page (sige, keep my name confidential).

shalom!

My response:

Please read my latest blog entry, and make sure you're healthy enough - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It challenges to action! God bless


3. hay. fr. berns, ako ay may ischemia. insignificant pa naman but nakakahigh blood yan text message na yan. i will post your open letter in my multiply links page and your subsequent links. i don't think this is a matter that we should just take lightly. it's obvious. pgca has to race to get APO hence the text brigade, because of the legal implications it entails. they certified the first two batches of counselors without the APO. nakakahiya. null and void yun di ba?

My response:

Hindi naman siguro. That would be too much. Magagalit na ang mga tao sa gawaing ganyan. Let us campaign for a more enlightened process kasi all these years things have been kept from the public eye. As members of this non-stock corporation, we have our obligation to monitor our officers. Especially now that we are in the age of professionalism. So di na me natatakot because this is the only way by which we can ensure that we have integrity. I've been told that the matters I blogged about this text brigade are public knowledge. The problem I have is that how come nothing has been done? (Or do the actions need public support and pressure to be effective? Or) Is this how apathetic our public is? And our government officials? I have always been of the belief that "evil thrives when good men do nothing." Di ba good ka? Let's do something. I have the evidences ... and I would not write about anything I only have nothing of. I don't like rumor mongering. And I still respect human dignity. Pero since nasimulan na, hala let's go until these matters are addressed to their resolution.

Thanks for your support. God bless


4. I forwarded your website to other counselors in Z... after reading your blog, I think I'll try for the Grandfather's Clause and get it done once and for all. I can't believe the PGCA made us think that they are the APO. I think we chose to believe it as well since we were all panicking to get our license we failed to stop and think...sandali lang recognized APO ba ang PGCA?...what were we thinking? We were too intent at getting our requirements ready...at least it's never too late...you wrote a very interesting and emotional blog. I'd be disappointed with the PGCA because they are claiming to be the APO...they all made us think that they are the recognized organization. I still have to read the rest of the blog in between classes. See you soon. Congratulats on your licensure oath taking. I'll work on mine this month.

My thoughts: Yes, PGCA was given the APO accreditation by PRC Resolution No. 292. The Board is legitimate. However, after the Board was appointed by GMA, the Board changed PGCA's nature as INTERIM APO which is different from the REAL APO, if the word REAL were to be invoked here. The problem came in when PGCA was not given the PRC Accreditation certificate and was not thereby allowed to pay the APO dues because of essential documentary flaws. Since it was given the PRC Resolution 292, PGCA should have used the time to correct these flaws, confronted itself and did some soul-searching. But what comes out is that it has acted out of some inordinate attachment for monetary gains and power-needs. The "right to ascendancy" appears to have enslaved them so that they failed to see more clearly the implications of their "service." If PGCA were to really seek the truth, it needs to see that it has bent itself too much, and maybe forcing itself to go beyond what it truly is capable. It may have transgressed its criteria for membership without consulting the whole body; it may have gone beyond bounds to accommodate for a long time what looks to be clearly deceit acted out of greed. In short, it failed to listen to what has been communicated to it. We are Counselors and we should be experts in listening well. We cannot allow ourselves to be shown that our ears have remained closed amidst the cries of truth and justice.