DOJ panel starts preliminary probe on nursing exam leakage

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has formed a panel to conduct a preliminary investigation of the leakage-tainted 2006 nursing licensure examination.

State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, a member of the panel, said the prosecutors will subpoena all 17 officials of the three nursing review centers implicated by the National Bureau of Investigation in the nursing test scam for violating Republic Act (RA) 8981 or an "Act modernizing the Professional Regulation Commission."

Navera said among those to be summoned are Ricarte Gapuz Jr., Evangeline Gapuz, Ma. Elena Altarejos, Elizabeth Iciano, and Eleanor Artemia Gapuz of R.A. Gapuz Review Center Inc.; George Cordero, Adela Cordero, Jerry Cordero, Corazon Sabado, MacJohn Fabian, Lolita Barlahan, and Eugenia Alcantara of Inress Review Center Inc.; and Gerald Andamo, Glenn Luansing, Mike Jimenes, Jerome Balisnomo and Freddie Valdez of Pentagon Review Specialists Inc.

"We are in the process of serving the subpoena. The only reason that we have not issued the subpoena yet is that the NBI is still photocopying the six bundles of documentary evidence against the respondents," Navera said.

Navera said they would also summon Board of Nursing members Anesia Dionisio and Virginia Madeja, who were tagged by witness Evelyn Asinas as the people who ordered her to type the test questions prepared by Dionisio at the Philippine General Hospital’s nursing service.

He said Asinas stated in her affidavit that Dionisio was her former supervisor at the nursing service of PGH.

Navera said aside from Dionisio and Madeja, the DOJ panel will also subpoena Jonna Bucud, who was identified by University of the Philippines (UP) nursing professor Cora Annonueva as the one who faxed the 18-page manuscript from Baguio to Manila to the R. A. Gapuz Review Center.

Annonueva stated in her affidavit to the NBI that Bucud was a scholar of Ray Gapuz and a drillmaster at the R.A Gapuz Review Center.

In a 22-page complaint, filed through NBI’s anti-fraud and computer crime division, NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said the Gapuz, Inress and Pentagon review centers were the sources of the leakage in the 2006 nursing licensure examinations.

"We have evidence against the three review centers. We have gathered the manuscripts of the questions prepared by the Nursing Board which they distributed to the examinees, compact discs, sworn statements and affidavits, PowerPoint presentation, handwritten 495 questions prepared by the examinees," NBI anti-fraud chief Elfren Meneses said.

Mantaring said there is sufficient evidence to establish that the Inress and Gapuz review centers have much to do with the proliferation of the leakage.

He said prior to the nursing licensure examinations, review materials that contained actual questions in the nursing licensure examinations were circulating in Baguio City and used mostly by reviewees from the Gapuz Review Center.

Mantaring said several eyewitnesses alleged that aside from the final coaching session, Pentagon had boasted of having leaked the questionnaires months before the nursing examinations.

He said Pentagon also gave specific instructions to their reviewees not to share their materials with students from other review centers.

Meanwhile, Prof. Rene Tadle, president of University of Sto. Tomas College of Nursing Faculty Association, assailed the resumption of the oathtaking of the Nursing Board passers.

He pointed out that the Court of Appeals (CA) decision ordering the Professional Regulation Commission to resume the oathtaking was not "immediately executory."

"Therefore, we still have the right for reconsideration or appeal. Pending the finality of the decision and the resolution of issues raised, the execution of the decision should be stayed," he said.

Tadle is one of those who petitioned the appellate court to invalidate Tests 3 and 5 in the exam held in June.

He complained that during the conciliation meeting presided over by Associate Justice Vicente Veloso at the CA’s First Division office last Thursday, the opinion of the petitioners was not heard.

"With the way things are now, there can be no closure yet. Sadly, the June 2006 passers continue to be tainted by the leakage controversy. But we are not about to give up yet," Tadle said.

This developed as the PRC released yesterday the names of the 1,184 examinees who were reinstated in the list of passers.

They were the ones who originally passed the test, but were later declared to have failed when the PRC ordered a re-computation of the scores in Test 3 and 5. One of them was 21-year-old Emil Marasigan of Saluysoy, Meycauayan, Bulacan who was already reviewing to retake the licensure test in December.

A graduate of Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela City, Marasigan admitted that he felt bad when he flunked the test.

"I was disappointed because I already want to work to help my family and to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. But I knew that life must go on. I’m already preparing for the December test and it turned out that I really passed the examination," he said.

Marasigan learned that he made it when a former classmate sent him a text message yesterday informing him of the list in the PRC website of those allowed to take oath.

"I am happy because I passed. But I am also sad because our batch had already been tainted. We were told by one of our professors that a hospital in California is not accepting anyone from our batch," he added. — Sheila Crisostomo