4 November 2015- The Philippine Consulate General in Manado held a Gender and Development (GAD) workshop, entitled “Workshop on Basic Counselling Techniques,” on October 24 at the Consulate General’s Conference Room for personnel of the Consulate General, the Philippine Liaison Officer to the Philippine-Indonesian Border Committee, Filipino teachers of Manado Independent School (MIS); Officers from Siloam Hospital Manado; and other guests.

Ms. Robin Vendelin, a Licensed Mental Health Counsellor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and her husband, Mr. John Vendelin, a former paramedic, founders of “Binding Up Broken Hearts (BUBH),” a non-profit organization based in the United States, facilitated the workshop. They are currently on a working visit in Manado in partnership with Yayasan Compassion First Indonesia, an organization which runs a shelter for trafficked children.

In her opening remarks, GAD Focal Point Officer, Ms. Maria Cecilia P. Wenceslao, expressed Manado PCG’s commitment to GAD initiatives and activities and warmly welcomed the two resource speakers.

The workshop began with a presentation, entitled “ABC+D Crises Intervention: Helping People through the Worst of Times,” where the speakers stressed the importance of non-verbal communication and discussed non-verbal cues or body language of a person in distress.

In the second half of the workshop, participants engaged in practical exercises in counselling techniques, guided by the facilitators.

In his closing remarks, Consul General Oscar Orcine noted that to handle sensitive situations, we need to have empathy and put ourselves in the shoes of the distressed person. He said that he was pleased that the workshop added more knowledge and insight relevant to the kind of work done by the Consulate General. In his speech, he also briefly reflected on the motto of North Sulawesi, “Si Tou Timou Tumou Tou,” which means "Men live to help others live."   

In addition to the workshop, the Consulate General was able to conduct overseas registration for six new registrants. END