The Professional Regulation Commission yesterday finally agreed to release the December nursing board examination results of all 599 West Negros College examinees not later than March 2.

However, the release will be without prejudice to the PRC's filing of charges against the examinees and the WNC College of Nursing dean, Zenaida Hilado, PRC chairperson Leonor Rosero and Board of Nursing chairperson Eufemia Octaviano said.

Hilado last night said she was told that PRC Regional Director Lily Ann Baldago had said over the radio that charges would be filed against her and her nursing license could be revoked, but she did not know what grounds the PRC would cite.

Hilado said she has not done anything illegal and is ready to face whatever charges are filed against her.

I am just happy PRC will release the examination results of our students because they worked hard for their degrees, she said.

Octaviano, meanwhile, told the DAILY STAR that if charges are filed, they will prolong the agony of the WNC nursing graduates.

In a letter to Commission on Higher Education chairman Carlito Puno, Octaviano pointed out that, as contained in the Notice of Admission (PRC APP form No. 002), if an examinee is disqualified due to misrepresentation, submission of fraudulent/spurious documents or discrepancies in entries in the transcript of records and birth certificate, his or her examination shall be cancelled after observance of due process.

On Monday the BON issued Resolution No. 14, Series of 2006, allowing the release of board examination results of WNC nursing graduates who had taken only 35 units and below, and only one Related Learning Experience a semester.

In her letter to Puno Tuesday Octaviano said that, under Resolution No. 14, only four WNC examinees qualified for the release of their results, two of whom have passed and two failed.

The passers were identified as Reyna Alcala Mendoza and Tisha Mei Peñaranda Pulmones. However, yesterday morning Rosero agreed to the release of all the examination results after she was grilled by several congressmen at a House budget hearing for the CHED and PRC.

Ernesto Arbolario, WNC vice president, who was at the hearing, said "We are very happy for the students, we have been behind them all along." Puno told the DAILY STAR the CHED will also continue its investigation on the course overloading problem at WNC, saying students are not supposed to be allowed to take more than 30 units a semester.

Because of this incident, we are imposing more stringent regulatory policies against course overloading and will tighten our monitoring system, not just on WNC, but on all schools, he said.

Rep. Fergenel Biron (Iloilo, 4th district) said he and Representatives Fred Castro (Capiz, 2nd district) and Harlin Abayon (Northern Samar, 1st district) grilled the PRC on the non-release of the WNC examinees' results.

We asked the PRC to resolve the issue because the students do not deserve the agony they have suffered, Biron said.

Those who should be sanctioned are not the students but the school, Biron said.

He said the fact that the students pass the board examination moots the question of overloading because the ultimate measure of their competence is the passing. Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella said because the threat of filing of charges could prolong the agony of the students, he is willing to initiate a dialog between them, WNC, PRC and CHED to discuss a possible "win-win" solution.

If the charges will endanger the future of the examinees I would be glad to broker talks to prevent the situation from getting worse, he said.

The BON had earlier concurred with the PRC suggestion that that WNC examinees with more than 35 units of academic load and more than one RLE a semester be advised to go back to school and meet the deficiencies without cost to the examinees.*CPG

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