Nursing board examiner nabbed for illegal recruitment

One of the nursing board examiners being investigated for the leakage of questions for the 2006 licensure examination has been arrested by police for alleged illegal recruitment.Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Director Jesus Verzosa said Virginia Madeja was arrested at her house in Mahogany Subdivision, Bagumbayan, Taguig City at 8 p.m. last Thursday.

Verzosa said the arrest was made by virtue of a warrant of arrest for estafa and illegal recruitment issued by Manila Judge Guillermo Purganan last June 9, 2005.

In his report to Verzosa, Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina, chief of the CIDG-National Capital Region, said nurses allegedly duped by Madeja sought the CIDG’s assistance for the arrest of the suspect, whom they recently saw on TV in connection with the nursing examination leakage.

Dolina said Madeja did not resist arrest.

When taken to the CIDG office at Camp Crame, Dolina said Madeja was immediately taken to the Philippine National Police General Hospital after her blood pressure shot up and she complained of shortness of breath.Ian Punongbayan, the lawyer of the complainants, said Madeja introduced herself as manager of the Total Care Staffing Services to the complainants in 2001. She told them they could leave for the US in 2002 if they pay $500 each for placement fees.

The jobs did not materialize, the lawyer said, prompting the nurses to file charges against Madeja before the Manila Regional Trial Court.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) claimed to have traced the leaked questions to Madeja and another member of the nursing board.