Saturday, September 30, 2006

Oro students criticize GMA’s re-take order

NURSING students from Northern Mindanao who passed the controversial June 2006 nursing board examinations from two universities in Cagayan de Oro cried foul yesterday criticizing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's order for a re-take of the said examinations.

“The order of the President is not equal for us here in Mindanao,” spokesman for Capitol and Liceo de Cagayan nursing students, Christopher Abellanosa, said. “Its unfair and unjust.”

Abellanosa added that the re-take order is not in principle only, since secretary Eduardo Ermita disclosed it to media on Wednesday.

“The order is another burden not only to those who passed the board examinations but the entire family including their parents,” Abellanosa said.

Abellanosa said the leakage reportedly took place in Luzon. “Why are they including us here in Mindanao, when we were not party to the anomaly?, he asked.

According to Abellanosa, Capitol and Liceo de Cagayan nursing students who passed the nursing examination are contemplating to take necessary actions so that Arroyo would hear their side and their mental anguish. He adds, they will try to ask the President to reconsider her Order.

Earlier, Arroyo explained through Ermita that a re-take order of the June 2006 nursing board examinations would cover the entire batch of examinees .

Ermita noted that the Chief Executive reached such policy decision during the Cabinet meeting early this week, to reclaim the integrity of Filipino professionals and PRC-administered examinations.

“For us, the order remains unclear, whether the re-take examination will be selective or not, but still the order is an order to re-take and that order is very inimical on our part,” said Abellano.
Abellanosa also criticized the Arroyo administration of “inconsistency,”in its decision.

“The June 2006 nursing board passers already took their oath. How come Malacañang ordered for re-takes? It?s purely a form of harassment to those who honestly passed the examinations without any leakage ,” Abellanosa said.

Abellanosa also said that Malacañang should focus their investigation ongovernment agencies which took part in the alleged irregularities during nursing board examination.

“Why did Malacañang failed to immediately initiate an investigation of officials who administered the examinations? Including those floated to have been involved in the leakage?, he asked.

He said that until now no single official has been named and even punished. “The leakages they were talking about are baseless if no one is investigated or punished,” he commented.

Abellanosa also denied that students in Mindanao benefitted from the leakage, and that the accusation for cheating. should not be generalized. “Why have they not accused the examiners of cheating also?, he asked.

“This is foul. No leakage reached us here in Mindanao and it is not true that some of the students benefitted from it”, Abellanosa said adding that not even a single questionnaire was leaked to examinees here in Mindanao.

“The leakages reportedly started in Baguio and Manila. So the focus of investigation should be there,” Abellanosa lamented.

“The investigators themselves disclosed that based on their computerized investigations, no single questionnaire was used here in Mindanao,” Abellanosa said, adding that the re-take order is not as easy for them even if the government would shoulder the examination fees.

“The problem now is the expenses during the re-take like the board and lodging, especially for examinees who lived in distant places,” he concluded.



Mindanao Gold Star Daily

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