Nursing’s best and worst

Classes have already begun but don’t be surprised if enrollment is still ongoing in some schools. That’s because diploma mills parading as "educational" institutions are more concerned with the quantity of enrollees, not the quality of learning that they impart to students. Considering that matriculation fees are expected to double every five years, parents should be more prudent in their choice of schools particularly for their kids going through college. It’s a good thing that Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago is prodding the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to grade all schools nationwide offering courses that require licensure exams based on the performance of their graduates, and to publish the results in newspapers for everyone to see. That may take a long time coming but at least for Nursing, a list of the 20 best and worst performing nursing schools in the country had been released. The ratings are based on the percentage of graduates passing the licensure exams from 1999 to 2003, with the highest at 99 percent and the lowest at 80. So parents, if the Nursing school that your son or daughter is currently enrolled in is not in this list of best performing Nursing schools, think again. Here goes: UP-Manila, St. Paul College-Iloilo, Silliman University, UST, West Visayas State University, SLU-Baguio, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Southern Luzon Polytechnic College, Trinity College-Quezon City, Cebu Doctors College, Mountain View College, UERM Memorial Medical Center, St. Paul University-Tuguegarao, Velez College Cebu, San Pedro College-Davao, Cebu State College, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, University of La Salette-Santiago, and Romualdez Medical Foundation.

Alabang Brawl Continues

It seems the brawl involving Alabang Country Club Inc. (ACCI) and expelled member Ramon Gonzalez is far from over. After the country club reinstated Gonzalez as member by strength of a Muntinlupa RTC ruling handed down last April 5, Gonzalez was again stripped of membership because of a TRO issued by the Court of Appeals. According to Gonzalez, the TRO was obtained through deceit because ACCI’s lawyers did not disclose the fact that Gonzalez had been reinstated, with the writ issued by the Muntinlupa RTC properly executed through the court Sheriff. In contrast, the TRO was simply carried by an ACCI lawyer to the Muntinlupa judge on May 5, which should have rendered it invalid since the writ was executed on April 26. Our ACCI Spy-ring reported that the extended bout is costing the club hundreds of thousands in legal fees. Insiders also surmise that Gonzalez’ seesawing membership status must have stemmed from the fact that Gonzalez had been very vocal in criticizing the Club for alleged anomalies. As a contractor, Gonzales reportedly knows his math and from a mile away could smell if a project cost is being bloated - like a clubhouse for instance.

Pacific Internet Responds

Pacific Internet’s business manager Joy Lantin sent Spybiz a long letter explaining about the May 17 column which disclosed customer complaints about its E-Volve promo. The gist of the letter is that Pacific Internet does not have full control and monitoring of retail outlets that sell their pre-paid cards as these are "owned" and "covered" by the distributor, effectively saying it is not the company’s fault if vendors assure unsuspecting customers that the E-Volve prepaid cards are still usable even if the promo period printed at the back has lapsed. What we find incomprehensible though is how come some cards with lapsed promo periods were usable and some are not. Like the customers who inquired, the answer was cloaked in technicalities about "first use" and "off-peak" surfing hours. Oh well. Perhaps Lantin and company should also include in their flyers, brochures and website online announcements the caveat that they will not be responsible for any cards sold beyond the promo dates.

Changes At Trade & Industry

The DTI Deep Throat disclosed that there will be several changes in assignments and promotions among the ranks of undersecretaries. The scuttlebutt is the incoming Undersecretary for Consumer Welfare & Trade Regulation is currently the trade attaché in Geneva and who is reportedly a protégé of an undersecretary for International Trade. The most prominent development is Undersecretary for Regional Operations Nelly Favis-Villafuerte’s leaving the agency. The word on the vine is that she will soon be appointed as the newest member of the Monetary Board. Newly-appointed Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya is slated to take over Villafuerte’s post.

Spy Tidbiz: Clue To The Taped Phone Conversation Mystery

The Spy-ring has confirmed the existence of equipment with the ability to tap into GSM phones, which were imported four years ago. Sources reported that the identity of who accepted the consignment has not been disclosed by the agencies involved. Our sources suggested if the United States government or the FBI can be convinced to disclose who received the equipment, then it can lead to solving the mystery of the taped phone conversation issue.

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