Keynote Speech of Chancellor Antonieta Fortuna-Ibe at IPCAP 1st National Convention

The following is the Keynote Address of former PRC Chair and current University of the East, Manila Chancellor Antonieta Fortuna-Ibe. She has mentioned so many challenges for us Guidance Counselors for our day and age. And let's do our best to meet the challenge.

"The advent of globalization is a reality that has brought about a lot of changes in the lives of people. The world seems to have been transformed into a global village where culture appears to be shared. We talk of global persons and global professionals. In addition, information and communication technology has modified our knowledge, skills and attitudes. Regional alliances like the ASEAN have been established in order to hasten the upgrading of skills of the human resources, standardization of the quality of products and services. In Europe, the Euromoney is an answer to linkages of countries that are geographically near each other. The concept of the ISO (international standards organization) is now in place in order to attain similarity of quality standards of both products and human resources.Cognizant of these factors, the Philippines has taken bold steps to address the demands of quality and excellence, to be at par with other countries.

"One significant impact of globailization on the Filipinos is labor migration which is consistent with our being adventurous. The Filipino migrants are found in the US, Australia, Europe, Middle East, Hongkong, Singapore, China etc. The lack of jobs in the country and the lure of a greener pasture have motivated the professionals and skilled workers to migrate. The attainment of quality standards has to be met, for us to have a fair competition for jobs in other countries.The Filipinos who go abroad need to have some sort of certification of their qualifications. Among the professionals the government agencies charged with this certification are the the Department of Labor and Employment and the Professional Regulation Commission. Many courses and careers have undergone transformation to meet the demands for migrant workers. There is now recognition of these migrant workers and they are called "Bagong Bayani" as they bring in the needed dollars to boost our economy. With 43 professions now under the jurisdiction of the Professional Regulation Commission, with guidance and counseling as the latest, there is acceptance that quality and excellence have to be attained. It does not mean that when we meet international standards for our human resources that we will migrate. It should also be imprinted in our hearts, that the country is also in great need of professionals who meet international standards who will contribute to nation building. Those who temporarily work abroad have families to return to and they also wish that through their contribution, our country can have citizens who have quality lives.

"Your profession is now recognized by our country and soon your reciprocity with other countries can prove that you are at par with the rest of the world. Your dream to have the license is now a reality. I understand it took you about 30 years to get the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004 enacted. What a long wait, however, your patience paid off. To celebrate this, you are all gathered as the first group of licensed guidance counselors for the first convention of the Integrated Professional Counselors Association of the Philippines, which is the only organization endorsed to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Professional Regulation Commission and the only professional organization of guidance counselors, that is integrated being composed of the seven professional organizations in guidance and counseling. What a memorable and symbolic celebration, being first in some way makes this occasion one that we can call historical.

"Your profession came to be recognized at a time when a lot of people need your services badly. The inflow of products and human resources from the outside seem to have seriously affected our culture and has created confusion among us. There is a need to address this situation.. The physical separation of family members brought about by labor migration lead to dysfunctional families. Other concerns that make your profession significant and necessary are the many concerns that confront us. Some of these are economic crisis causing poor nutrition, increase in student dropouts, social, political concerns, substance abuse, gender orientation issues, decline in the quality of education, environmental and sanitation problems, limited jobs, juvenile delinquency, moral degradation, technology and techno stress, health problems, violence against women and children, knowledge explosion, proliferation of religions and overpopulation are some of the major issues. The guidance counselor's skills, knowledge and attitudes have to be transformed to be able to respond to all these new concerns. A child today is already beset with problems which are sometimes beyond his/her capacity to solve. There are already laws enacted to protect the child and women, anti-sexual harassment law, etc, and the guidance counselor has to be always updated in techniques and strategies. Thus, I hope that IPCAP can seriously address this pressing need.

"Having played a role in the enactment of the Guidance and Counseling Act, when I was Chair of the Professional Regulation Commission, I was in Senate with some of you when the law was finally approved. I was also a speaker at a public forum on your law at UP Diliman when Dr. Rose Llanes was the president of the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association. Your profession will never fade away, in fact, there will be more demand for your services as the world undergoes re-eengineering and transformation. As an avid advocate for professional excellence, I urge you to commit to your Code of Ethics and Standards of Good Practice. I also want to congratulate the officers of IPCAP for the hard work and the meaningful vision they have crafted that made IPCAP a reality. Everyone's support is needed and let us unite to elevate guidance and counseling so it can be worthy of a true profession.