22 July 2016 - Consul General Paul Raymund P. Cortes led the first batch of graduates of the landmark Psycho-Social Seminar Series co-organized by the Consulate with representatives from the United International Private School in Dubai (UIPS), The Gulf Today, The Medical City and other prominent FilCom personalities.

The seminar series is the first of its kind for any Foreign Service Post according to the former Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Rafael E. Seguis, who also attended the first session early this year.     

The seminar series is also the first ever Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project of the Canadian University of Dubai (CUD).

At the helm of the four-month seminar series is the prominent Filipino academic and recent recipient of the Global Educator Award, Dr. Rommel Sergio Pilapil.

The first sessions of the seminar series were held at the Rizal Hall of the Consulate on March 24 and attended by close to 30 participants from the Consulate and POLO-OWWA offices.  The second and third sessions were on May 13 and June 12, respectively. 

The program’s main objective is to initiate counseling capability-building measures among the first line of service providers of the Consulate such as the staff of the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Unit through self-awareness and team-building workshops.

The last session and concurrent graduation ceremony was held on July 15 at the CDU Main Hall followed by light Filipino refreshments. In the last session, Dr. Pilapil was assisted by fellow academic and psychologist Dr. Angel Malaya of the UIPS.

The Consulate together with Dr. Pilapil will roll out the follow-through activities such as counseling of counselors (one-on-one session) and immersion activities, for the successful graduates later this year. END