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Saturday, October 04, 2008
Ched suspends nursing review center
BAGUIO CITY -- A nursing review center here was suspended for 90 days by the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) for violating some rules and guidelines.
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Among Northcap Review Center's violations of Executive Order 566 include mismanagement and deceit in the application of a permit.
The order suspending Northcap's operation was signed last September 30 by Ched Chairman Emmanuel Angeles and took effect Friday.
A complaint was filed against Northcap with the Ched central office by the Pangasinan chapter of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA).
The complainant represented nursing graduates in Pangasinan who failed to take the board examination because their application papers for the examination were not processed at the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).
The nursing graduates paid an average of P1,000 to P1,200 each to Vivian Lazaro, administrative officer of the Northcap Review Center in Baguio, but she reportedly fled with the money and could no longer be found up to this day.
"The fact-finding committee having found the existence of prima facie case against Northcap Review Center, the management and its duly authorized officials acting in its behalf are hereby ordered to suspend their operations," a portion of the order stated.
In the meantime, Ched Regional Director Freddie Bernal said Northcap is responsible for tying up with other review centers to ensure their reviewees will still be able to continue with their classes in time for the November examinations. Otherwise, reviewees should work for the refund of fees.
Ched is expected to come up with a recommendation on Northcap's status after 90 days.
Initial investigation showed that Northcap Review Center is now using a new name, Northcap 777. Its registered owner is a certain Lowell Maglaki. Registered owners of Northcap Review Center are Ludivina Ramos and John Lazaro.
However, Ched legal and technical consultant Danny Tenefrancia said Northcap Review and Northcap 777 are both review centers located in the same business address at Decibar building in Bonifacio Street.
He said they were informed by personnel of Northcap 777 that Northcap Review Center has been dissolved. Verification with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), however, showed Northcap Review Center is still active.
Tenefrancia said the fact-finding committee will have to dig deeper into the company's change of business name.
A few months earlier, nursing and midwifery graduates who enrolled at the review center sued it on the grounds that fees were collected from them, but they were not able to take their licensure tests.
The PRC-Cordillera then issued a directive stating that filing of applications should be done personally.
Most of those who sued Northcap were students from Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. Affected students spent an average of P60,000 to 90,000.
The Baguio City Prosecutor's Office found probable cause to indict Northcap personnel for estafa, albeit an out-of-court settlement was earlier offered by Ramos and Lazaro.
The case is now pending at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Baguio. (Rimaliza Opiña/Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (October 4, 2008 issue)
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