|
By Ernie B. Esconde, Correspondent
BALANGA City, Bataan: An official
of a nursing review center in Bataan, nursing reviewers and parents
on Monday appealed to the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC)
to grant an extension in the filing of application for the June 1
and 2 Nursing Board Exam after the administrative officer of
Northcap Review Center in Baguio City ran away with P1.2 million in
registration fees.
Lawyer Josephine Paguio, owner of
Northcap Review Center in Balanga City, said Northcap-Baguio
Administrative Officer Vivian Lazaro did not file with the PRC the
application of 1,067 nursing reviewers from Northcap branches in
Central Luzon and North Luzon, 271 of which come from Bataan.
Paying P1,150 per applicant, the
total amount paid by Northcap reviewers amounted to more than P1.2
million, which Lazaro did not remit to the PRC, Paguio said.
Paguio’s review center in
Balanga that opened on March 31, 2008 is under a licensing agreement
with Northcap-Baguio. “It was a disaster for us because we just
started with the review center,” she exclaimed.
Paguio said they came to know on
April 23 that Lazaro, eldest sister of one of the owners of
Northcap-Baguio, did not submit the application papers of 271
reviewers from Bataan and from other Northcap branches to the PRC.
Folders of documents of reviewers from Bataan were discovered in a
building in Baguio City.
Lazaro has not been heard from or
seen since then, Paguio said. Deadline of applications for the June
1 and 2 Nursing Board Exam was on April 18.
Paguio said Labor Secretary
Marianito Roque has considered the predicament of the students and
has recommended to PRC Chairperson Leonor Rosero to grant an
extension in the filing of application.
She reiterated their request to
Rosero to consider the plight of their reviewers for a reason not of
their making. ”Nakikiusap po kami sa PRC na bigyan kami ng
pagkakataon na makakuha ng exam ngayon sapagkat naging biktima
lamang po kami at ang aming mga magulang [We appeal for the PRC to
give us a chance to take the board exams this June as we fell
victims to this scam, along with our parents],” reviewing nursing
graduates at Northcap-Balanga said.
A blind father of one of the
reviewers said their children were not at fault as they complied
with the requirements. They should not be punished for the
wrongdoing of a Northcap-Baguio official.
Other parents said their children
suffered some form of trauma and lack of enthusiasm. “Nangangamba
ang aming mga anak na baka hindi sila makakuha ng exam ngayong Hunyo
1 at 2 [Our children are worried that they might not be able to take
the board exams scheduled on June 1 and 2].”
They did not blame the owner of
the review center in Balanga City. “Ginagawa naman ni Atty. Paguio
ang lahat ng paraan upang matulungan ang aming mga anak [We are
aware that Atty. Paguio is trying her best to help our children],”
the parents said.
Paguio said they have filed with
the Bataan Prosecutors Office an estafa case against Vivian Lazaro.
--Ernie B. Esconde
|
