10 Pinoy nurses face 6 years jailterm in NY

Ten Filipino nurses face up to six years imprisonment in New York and deportation to the Philippines on charges of conspiracy and child endangerment. The nurses from the Philippines, who were on a three-year contract with Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Smithtown, resigned without notice and walked out from the medical facility that cares for physically disabled children. Their lawyer in New York, Felix Vinluan, was also charged. The nurses and Vinluan pleaded “not guilty" on March 22 on sixth-degree conspiracy, five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and six counts of endangering the welfare of a physically disabled child. Reports from New York said Vinluan instructed the nurses to quit their job without notice in April last year after the nurses complained of having grown tired of broken promises of benefits. Although none of the children at the facility suffered ill effects from the walkout, the criminal charges were filed because the children were endangered, according to Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Leonard Lato. "It's just like if a parent leaves a child in a car with the windows up in the summertime," he said. "It doesn't matter if nothing happens to the child; the fact that they were left in a dangerous situation is the crime," he explained. The indictment claims the nurses knew that their resignations "would render it difficult for Avalon Gardens to find, in a timely manner, skilled replacement nurses." All the defendants were released on their own recognizance and were told to return to court on April 24. The 10 nurses are among 26 nurses and one physical therapist who walked out of their jobs last year from different health care facilities owned by Sentosa Care Group. The group included Elmer Jacinto, a Filipino doctor who opted to work as a nurse in New York City. The group complained that Sentosa paid them less than what was promised them and forced them to render overtime work without pay. They said they were recruited to work for a certain facility but ended up with a different employer upon their arrival in New York. - GMANews.TV