Labor center “expected” CGFNS decision

The decision of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) to ban nurses who took the 2006 Nursing licensure exam from getting US visa despite the visit of the government’s negotiation panel was “as expected”, according to Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center.

“We feel for our nurses who were given a blow by the position of the CGFNS not to give visa to those who took the 2006 licensure exam unless they retake exam 3 and 5. We cannot place our blame on the CGFNS. The source of the problem lies here in our country and not in the US. It was not the CGFNS who orchestrated the test leakage,” said Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, National Chairperson of the KMU.

According to Labog, the CGFNS even chided the government resolve or the lack thereof to prosecute the masterminds behind the leakage. The labor leader cited the statement made by the CGFNS saying “…the compromise situation was handled in a way that was not comparable to the way it had been handled in the US,” they added.

Expedite prosecution of test leakage masterminds

Labog reacted to the statement of Labor Secretary Arturo Brion that by just retaking exam 3 and 5 will remove all doubts. “Unless the masterminds are placed behind bars, doubts will persist and the possibility of another problem occurring is always a possibility.”

“The effort of nurses and their families are being put to waste by placing additional burden on their shoulders while the government tolerates cheating by looking the other way and brushing aside the need for a quick prosecution of the culprits,” ended Labog.