Villar apologizes over comment on Filipino nurses

MANILA -- Team PNoy senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar on Monday apologized to Filipino nurses who were offended by her statement regarding the nursing profession.

In her Twitter account, @Cynthia_Villar, posted this statement: "Taos-puso po akong humihingi ng paumanhin sa lahat ng mga nurse at kani-kanilang pamilya na labis na nasaktan sa aking kasagutan sa tanong na ibinato sa akin sa isang programa sa TV (I ask for forgiveness to all the nurses and their families who were hurt by my reply to a question thrown at me in one television program)."

The former Las Piñas City representative said that she understands the sacrifices parents and families of nursing students who work hard to support their children's education.

"I recognize also the huge contribution of nurses based locally and abroad as they work hard to support their families," she tweeted in Filipino.

In asking for apology, the wife of Senator Manny Villar said that she has no intention of belittling the nursing profession.

The controversial statement of the senatorial bet was aired during a candidates' forum of GMA New TV where Villar was asked to comment on her role as then House committee on higher education chairman on the government's failure to close non-compliant nursing schools.

Economist Winnie Monsod, who acted as one of the panelists, further asked Villar how she would reconcile the "seeming disconnect" between her desire to help the poor and supposedly siding with the owners of nursing schools.

"Ang sinasabi namin sa kanila na 'actually, hindi naman kailangan ng nurse na matapos ang BSN (BS Nursing). Kasi itong mga nurses, gusto lang nilang maging room nurse (We told the Commission on Higher Education that a nurse doesn't have to be graduate BS Nursing. Because these nurses only want to become room nurse)," Villar said in response.

Team PNoy campaign spokesperson and Marikina Representative Miro Quimbo thinks Villar has been "unfairly treated" especially in social media.

"She has sufficiently explained her position on the matter. If there's anyone who she'd offended it was not intentional," Quimbo said in a press conference.

Quimbo said Villar was caught off guard with the question being that the incident happened some seven years ago. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)