Last 5-6 August 2015, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) administered the annual Licensure Examination for Guidance Counselors in Manila. Out of the 419 who took the said exam, only 252 or 60.14% passed the exam nationwide. The results of this year’s Examinations were released last 10 August 2015.
From the Ateneo de Naga University 100.00% or 10 out of the 10 of those who took the said exam this year passed. All 10 examinees were first-time takers. In addition, AdNU was able to produce two topnotchers: Cathy Villarroya (3rd in rank with a rating of 88.60%), and Fatima May Alarcon (8th in rank with a rating of 86.80%). AdNU is the only school which has produced two national placers in this year’s exam.
The following are AdNU’s 2015 list of graduates and successful examinees:
- Cathy T. Villarroya – Rank 3
Guidance Counselor, Ateneo de Naga University High School, Naga City - Fatima May P. Alarcon – Rank 8
Guidance Counselor, Ateneo de Naga University High School, Naga City - Marites B. Del Mundo
Teacher, Tagbac Elementary School, Ragay, Camarines Sur - Michael William H. Del Rosario
Guidance Counselor, College Guidance Center, Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City - Kristine Bernadette V. Dihiansan-Mariano
Guidance Counselor, Pamukid National High School, San Fernando, Camarines Sur - Agnes L. Dominguiano
Program Coordinator for Gender Concerns, College Guidance Center, Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City - Ivy B. Galon
College Instructor, CBSUA-Calabanga Campus, Calabanga , Camarines Sur - Medusa G. Marpuri-Luzon
Guidance Counselor, College Guidance Center, Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City - Salve F. Paradela-Yamson
Guidance Counselor, College Guidance Center, Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City - Eileen DL. Quitangon
College Instructor, College Reading Center, Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City
All of the ten examinees belong to the second batch of graduates of our MA in Education major in Guidance and Counseling (Non-Thesis Track) program.
In comparison to the other Bicol-based schools, AdNU is the only Bicol-based University/HEI with the highest number of examinees, and with 100.00% rating of successful number of examinees; all first-time takers, and the only Bicol-based University with national placers.
In 2014, the first/pioneer batch of graduates of the Masters in Education major in Guidance and Counseling – Non-Thesis Track successfully took and passed the National Exams with the same passing rate of 100%, and producing one national placer (Marie Elaine A. Florece, 4th placer), the first time that a Bicol-based school has made it to the top ten ever since the PRC ran its first Licensure Exam in Guidance and Counseling last August 2008.
The Ateneo de Naga University, true to its mission to respond to the development needs of the Bicol Region in the area of social development and other fields of human endeavor, has been offering Master of Arts in Education major in Guidance and Counseling as one of its academic programs in the Graduate School since 1994. The aim of this course has been to develop professionals and competent guidance and counseling practitioners so as to assist in the region’s need for professional practice in guidance and counseling as well as in research, teaching, consultancy, and technical applications.
The non-thesis track was offered in the ADNU Graduate School last School Year 2012-2013 out of the current reality that only a few students would complete their Master’s degree due to their difficulty to finish their thesis. Furthermore, there was also the fact that there were several practicing Guidance Counselors in the Region who are not registered or without license. To respond to these realities, the Non-Thesis track in Guidance and Counseling was offered to help them fast track the process of qualifying for the licensure exams (the minimum requirement of which is a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling) without sacrificing the quality of training and education in the field.
Since RA 9258 otherwise known as the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004 was passed into law and implemented, AdNU has already produced 24 Registered Guidance Counselors. Twenty-two of which gained their licenses by taking the board exam, and two (2) of them got their licenses without an exam (through RA 9258’s grandfather’s clause). A Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling is the minimum requirement for one to be allowed to take the Guidance Counselor Licensure Examination.
All of these achievements serve to further inspire the ADNU Graduate School’s Guidance and Counseling Cluster to remain faithful to its goal to: “facilitate the total personal and professional growth of counselor trainees to meet the guidance and counseling needs in the Bicol Region and the Philippines.”
