Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Speak out: A little sacrifice By Ricardo macabenta Mandaue City
There is widespread opposition to the plan of the government to invalidate the June 2006 nursing board examinations. Most of the reported exam passers, their parents and relatives alike, are averse to the re-take of the said examination.
I understand the agonies and efforts of those individuals who indeed passed the exam, their parents and sponsors who trudged so hard to pay the tuition and related expenses.
I sympathize with those whose excitement of working immediately in local hospitals to hone their skills in preparation for high paying jobs overseas are shattered. Dreams of earning dollars or euros are now held in abeyance.
Almost all of them are victims of circumstances and greed. Unscrupulous people, who capitalized and saw the tremendous opportunity to exact flesh on innocent and hapless citizens, eager to pass the exam.
But since the exam has been tainted by alleged irregularities, the damage has been done. People are supposed to understand that not only was the 2006 nursing exam tainted, but so are all other previous and future exams of whatever nature held here in the Philippines.
From now on, foreigners will suspect the veracity or accuracy of the credentials that supposedly indicate the competence of Filipino job applicants. The incident has tarnished the excellent reputation of Filipinos in any field of employment abroad. Implications
The leakage will be used against us, by citizens of other countries competing for probably the same jobs. The magnitude of damaging implications is unspeakable, such that a prominent doctor or engineer who has been working abroad for several years might be subject of insinuative persecutions. Sounds absurd but not impossible.
The estimated 14,000 victims, those who really passed the exam, and their families are just a very tiny fraction of our population. What is at stake is the whole country’s reputation.
Can we allow our nation to be coined a land of cheaters and magicians? All our exams here will be placed under apprehension and mistrust. No matter how religious and honest future exams will be conducted, it will always be clouded by doubt.
I am appealing to everybody to contribute a little sacrifice. We have to, at a certain time in our lives, partake of a noble or heroic deed for the sake of our country.
I understand how the victims of the leakage feel, we have to face reality. It’s like when our country is at war, when we are called to active service to defend and fight for our motherland. We have no choice but to do what befits a true citizen.
This is why I see the need for a retake of the exam. Through this measure, all suspect and uncertainty will be washed away, and credibility will be restored.
Review centers must be abolished. Schools should handle their own reviews. What’s the use of providing teaching students for years only to entrust them to these review centers?
