Solon asks PRC chair Rosero to quit

An administration ally at the House of Representatives demanded Thursday the resignation of Leonor Rosero, chair of the Professional Regulations Commission. Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, also a physician, said Rosero failed to protect the interest of the nursing graduates who passed the leakage-tainted June 2006 licensure exam when she urged them to challenge the decision of the US Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools to disqualify them for VisaScreen Certificate. The VisaScreen Certificate is a requirement for licensed Filipino nurses to migrate to the United States and work as a nurse. While seeking Rosero’s “immediate resignation," the lady lawmaker suggested that the 17,871 passers in the June 2006 nursing exam to retake it “not just for their own sake, but for their families as well." At the same time, Garin called on concerned government agencies to take the necessary steps to cleanse the PRC “so that once and for all our nurses victimized by this scam can rebuild their lives and work on the future they deserve." President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had instructed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to appeal the CGFNS decision. Rosero had claimed that the VisaScreen Certificate was not necessary to find work in 20 states in America, including California. She said the VisaScreen is required only for immigrants. Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Dante Ang had expressed a different view. He said all licensed nurses interested in working in the United States have to secure a VisaScreen Certificate from the CGFNS. Garin said Rosero’s statements on the VisaScreen issue only serves to undermine the future of the June 2006 passers. The CGFNS recommended a retake and passing of Tests 3 and 5 of the June 2006 exam to enable them to qualify for VisaScreen. “Undoubtedly, this move being orchestrated by Rosero to challenge the mandate of CGFNS will only further undermine the future of these young nurses," she said. “If CGFNS can ban those nurses, this can serve as precedent to similar scenarios in the future." “The issue here is that anywhere these nurses go, the stigma of the fiasco will always persecute them. Similarly, their competence, intelligence and character will always be questioned," Garin pointed out to justify her suggestion of a re-take. “The ignorance, inefficiency and lack of better judgment of the PRC’s leadership is costing our nursing professionals too much of a price to pay. What we have at stake is the future of these nurses. No person has the right to play with their fate," Garin said. The nursing examination is just one of the examinations conducted by the PRC, but the “trust and confidence of the people in the PRC leadership is already eroded and every move of the PRC gives rise to more problems. The mess they created is blatant and disgusting." - GMANews.TV