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Nursing examinees fear whitewash in licensure exam investigation

BAGUIO CITY (July 11) — The attempt to cover up the truth behind the leakage on the June nursing board exam and the “inaction” by the Professional Regulatory Board (PRC) on the issue is an attempt to project good image of the Philippines in a bid by a top official of the Philippine Nursing Association (PNA) to make the country a National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) testing center.

Despite the move to suppress the complaint however, professional health workers, board examinees, nursing students and their supporters here today braved heavy rains as they marched down Session Road. In a program at the People’s Park here, speakers reiterated their call for the PRC to do an independent fact finding body to investigate the scam and to suspend the scam-linked members of the Board of Nursing (BON) while the investigation is going on.

The rallyists were disappointed with the PRC’s failure to act on the complaint expeditiously as they also expressed fear that the PRC is doing a whitewash.

NCLEX-RN Testing Center

Rallyists alleged that PNA national president George Cordero called Cordillera-PNA officials and the Cordillera Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN) to slow down their expose’ on the leakage scam as it would affect the chances of the Philippines to be an NCLEx-RN, administered to nurses wishing to get a US employment.

A public statement revealed that on June 17, Cordero called Dean Ruth Thelma Tingda, governor of the PNA-Cordillera, and asked her “to suppress the complaint.”

Cordero also reportedly talked to Dr. Mary Grace Lacanaria on June 19 urging her to suppress the complaint and to resort to “damage control” instead. Cordero allegedly warned that the issue of the board examination leakage might certainly damage the PNA lobby for the country to be an NCLEx-RN Testing Center.

Cordero allegedly offered Lacanaria, dean of the Saint Louis University College of Nursing, and ADPCN president, a position in his nursing school but she turned it down. Nordis tried to interview Cordero but he could not be reached.

Both Lacanaria and Tingda are among those who joined as interveners in the complaint against the leakage filed with the PRC.

Whitewashing the complaint?

Exactly 92 Baguio nursing examinees stood their grounds against the leakage and filed a complaint at the PRC-CAR office on June 21 leakage on sets III and V of their examinations, with around 50 questions were leaked to a local Gapuz review center and 119 questions were leaked to another.

Some 425 professional nurses joined the complainants’ call in an intervention they filed on June 28 at the PRC national office.

They all called for the immediate convening of an independent fact finding committee (IFFC) to investigate the scam; to file the necessary administrative and criminal charges against those who are responsible; and put on preventive suspension all members of the Board of Nursing (BON) while the investigation is going on.

The interveners and their counsels discovered on June 28, that the PRC national Legal and Records Divisions had no copy of the complaint filed on June 21.

They also learned that the PRC national and regional offices issued contradicting statements on the IFFC. Atty. Senando Esteban of PRC-CAR told them on June 30 that it would be headed by Atty.Renato Valdecantos, a PRC Commissioner.

Valdecantos on July 3 reportedly admitted to them that he heads the IFFC with members all from the PRC; that there was an on-going investigation with the BON not related to the complaint; and that he retracted his earlier statement that the IFFC has been created as the complaint is still with the Legal Division.

These contradicting claims from PRC officials “give enough reason for them to claim that the PRC’s actions are tainted with intentions to railroad and whitewash the complaint,” the interveners and complainants said in their July 11 statement.

They push for an independent committee, thus, members should not be from the PRC, which they claimed has allegedly showed its bias. Independent members of the Committee should be reputable members of the ADPCN, a nurse, representative of health non-government organization, or from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), PRC and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), claimed Atty. Cheryll Daytec-Yangot, a counsel of the complainants/interveners in an interview.

Suspend BON!

Lacanaria and Tingda, in an earlier press conference, claimed that the BON prepares questions, and administers the nursing board examination.

Bon members allegedly have all privileges, including access to the questionnaires. Two of its members were allegedly involved in the scam. The rallyists alleged that before the conduct of the nursing board on June 11 to 12, two members of the BON and PNA Pres. Cordero traveled to Switzerland.

Reliable sources claimed that the travel was prohibited for the BON with Cordero, as the latter operates a review center and a nursing school, and his child took the exam.

Twenty-two deans and examinees met with Cordero on June 10 where the latter allegedly leaked questions, claimed the complainants/interveners in their statement.

While they call for the suspension of the BON for them not to influence the result of the investigation, they question Valdecantos’s back-door talks with the BON, where two of its members had been identified to have been involved with the scam.

“Is there a conspiracy between these offices?” asked one examinee in the July 11 rally.

In an earlier update from the PRC, they claimed that they will be filing administrative cases to the two BON members who were not named yet.

Legislative inquiry

While the PRC’s action is allegedly sluggish, the interested parties push for a congressional inquiry – particularly Senate inquiry – in aid of legislation.

Atty. Kissack Gabaen, counsel for the complainants/interveners, claimed that the legislative inquiry will serve as a venue not only to unmask the extent of the scam but more on a legislation for the jurisdiction of an appropriate agency for circumstances like the scam.

He explained that it s not clear which office has jurisdiction over the scam as it was committed after graduation and before their acceptance as professionals. He clarified that the CHED has jurisdiction when they are still students and the PRC when they are already professionals. This would be addressed by the inquiry to come-up with appropriate legislation, he added.

Gabaen believes, however, that those linked n the scam would do everything to suppress the truth – whether they are in favor of making the Philippines as NCLEX-RN Testing Center or have been involved in systemic scam, he added in an interview.

Meanwhile, the rallyists asserted that the nursing profession remains to be a noble profession and should not be for sale. They push for their just cause as the interest of the general public is at stake. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS

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