Outcry vs PRC withholding of nurses’ exam results

One can get distracted. That’s what happened to me when the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) withheld the results of the exams of some West Negros College students who had taken the recent nursing board examinations.

Those who failed to receive their test results were mostly "second coursers," which means that they took up nursing despite the fact that most of them were already graduates of other courses and were already practicing physicians, engineers and teachers.

Rep. Monico Puentevella took up the cudgels for the examinees and asked the PRC to explain the non-release of the test results.

Of the 604 examinees whose results were not released, 400 are reportedly from the WNC in Bacolod. The PRC, Puentebella said, must explain why it withheld the exam results of these students.

He said he is giving PRC officials a chance to clarify the issue before he asks for a congressional inquiry into the matter.

Some of the WNC nursing graduates were reportedly mulling to sue the school and the PRC for the snafu.

Some of them even claimed to have already had their papers processed for employment abroad. Now they are in trouble and they cannot proceed to Manila to finalize their papers.

WNC legal counsel Delfin Moya also reportedly said that if the problem is not settled soon, the college may have to resort to legal means to compel the PRC to release the results.

One of the rumored reason for the non-release was "overloading." WNC Nursing Dean Zenaida Hilado is still waiting though for an advisory from the PRC main office in Manila if the proposed meeting with the PRC board on Jan. 15 will push through.

The WNC graduates stressed that the PRC has the obligation to release the test results even to those who failed the exams.

The issue of "academic overloading" was confirmed by PRC regional director Lily Ann Baldago, saying that there were some students who had taken more academic courses than they were allowed.

In short, some reportedly enrolled for 40 to 46 units in one semester, which was impossible to cope with.

Baldago was herself a nurse and former dean of the West Visayas State University’s College of Nursing.

In some instances, she said a student was enrolled in three Related Learning Experience (RLE) which requires hospital work at the same time.

Some of those whose test results were withheld, she added, had been allowed to take the examination on condition that they would comply with some requirements missing in their application forms.

Another sore point is that it is the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) that allows or disallows academic overloading depending on whether the student can cope with the workload.

Dr. Hilado, the WNC nursing dean, reportedly wrote Dr. Enrique Grecia, the CHED regional director, to allow those taking nursing as a second course to overload for economic reasons.

Thus, post completion of the nursing course after only two years and two summers, the CHED issues a student order. And the PRC checks on their competency before they are given a permit to take the board examination.

Some the WNC students took them in Iloilo, Manila and Cebu.

A student who took up nursing as a second course pointed out that some of them already had their US visas waiting for them. Others have applied for work in other countries.

The problem is that most of them are physicians, lawyers, computer science graduates, chemical engineers and teachers. They are already working and most are married.

This is something that must be resolved soon, preferably before the Jan. 25 oathtaking, said WNC vice president Ernesto Arbolario.

It is an explosive situation. Puentevella will have to help solve the problem.

The scary sugar situation

Millgate prices of domestic sugar held on to a price above the P1,000 per Lkg level.

That was the result of Thursday’s bidding in sugar districts in the province and Panay despite the outcry against Administrator James Ledesma’s release of "C" or reserve sugar to stop the runaway millgate prices of raw sugar because of the tight supply.

Ledesma yesterday came out with a statement that there is no basis for all the noise that some sugar producers created in fear of a drop in the millgate prices of sugar.

The Sugar Regulatory Administrator pointed out that his mandate was to ensure that prices stay reasonably profitable to producers and fair to consumers.

Even Francis Trenas, president of the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Inc. said yesterday that "James Ledesma is right after all."

"(Despite) the significant drop in the expected production this year, prices will be maintained at P1,000 per Lkg even without the ‘C’ (reserved sugar)," he added.

Panay prices of "B" sugar (domestic) ranged from P1,005 to P1,030.50 and "A" (US market) from P1,020 to P1,037.44, Trenas disclosed.

Even Enrique Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), said the prices of sugar were holding above the P1,000 per bag and he hopes the trend will continue.

But Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers Federation, who earlier called for Ledesma’s resignation, changed his tune and asked his members not to sell their sugar below P1,000 per bag.

Reynaldo Bantug, president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED), pointed out that the P10 or P25 decrease in price in some mills is just a healthy correction considering that there are no more C sugar. On the other hand, the P5 increase per Lkg for VMC indicates a strong demand for refined sugar, he added.

World trade

Luis Tongoy, chairman of the Confed Panay-Negros chapter, however, raised the issue of the scary world sugar situation. He pointed out that the No. 14 in the US has already reached 23 cents per pound. And there are indications that Mexico may not be able to comply with its NAFTA commitment based on a monitor of deliveries to the US.

In Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was reportedly poised to declare a sugar shortage and clamp down on sugar exports.

Last year’s drought reportedly caused a decline of almost 12 percent of supply to only 4.59 million tons. Thai mills and sugarcane growers are urging the government to raise the domestic price to help producers and discourage smuggling.

Brazil, the world’s top sugar supplier, earlier announced a drop in production by some three million metric tons. About 203 of the 243 sugar mills in Brazil’s center-south have suspended activities for this season. Brazilian officials will meet with millers next week to discuss how to keep the rising ethanol prices in check.

Vietnam is expected to import 100,000 tons this month as local prices climbed ahead of major holidays.

The most troubling, however, was the pronouncement of Prime Minister Thaksin that sugar prices will be deregulated and warned that last year’s drought has weakened Thailand’s sugar crop.

"We are facing an inadequate supply of sugarcane for the mill, resulting in a shortage of sugar for domestic consumption," said Thaksin.

At the rate things are going, with the EU export dropping to only 1.5 million metric tons from five million, the days ahead could see a scramble for sugar futures, said Tongoy.

In short, some pointed out, that could spur local producers to plant more sugarcane, especially in the face of the expected emergence of ethanol as an alternative fuel.

"I can foresee the possibility of world sugar prices reaching as high as 18 cents per pound by the middle of the year," Tongoy said.

Worse, there is the insistent demand by US consumers for the US agriculture department to revise its supply estimate and import more sugar despite the fact that the US has already twice raised its Tariff Quota Allocation (US sugar quota).

Well, that’s both good news and bad news for the Philippines.