Only nurses wanting to work in US have to retake examination, Ermita says*

No way.

That, in effect, was what the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools said when it denied the bid of a Philippine delegation headed by Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella for reconsideration of its requirement that the passers of the June 2006 Philippine nurse licensure examination retake the leakage-tainted portions of the test.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita yesterday said there is nothing more the Philippine Government can do and only those who want to work in the US will have to retake Test 3 and 5 of the June 2006 examination. The CGFNS, in its website www.cgfns.org, stressed that the nurses need to retake to be eligible for VisaScreen Certification, an immigration requirement to obtain work visa in the US.

Farmers set prayer rally,
seek help of 4 bishops
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Members of the Hacienda Malaga-Cuenca Multi-Purpose Cooperative and union yesterday called on the four Catholic bishops of Negros to help them obtain justice and peace through the installation of the real farmer beneficiaries on their farm in Barangay Robles, La Castellana.

Their appeal was addressed to bishops Vicente Navarra of Bacolod, John Du of Dumaguete, Patricio Buzon of Kabankalan and Jose Advincula of San Carlos.

The coop and union members are also calling on "real agrarian reform beneficiaries" from farms all over Negros Occidental to join them in their quest for justice through a prayer rally at Hacienda Velez-Malaga in Barangay Robles, La Castellana, tomorrow morning.

As PNP goes on alert
for TFM installation
BY GILBERT BAYORAN

Troopers of the 612nd and 613rd Provincial Mobile Groups were placed on standby and alert effective yesterday, for deployment in the controversial property of Hacienda Velez-Malaga, Brgy. Robles, La Castellana, to prevent any untoward incident that may take place during the installation of farmer beneficiaries affiliated with Task Force Mapalad set by the Department of Agrarian Reform either tomorrow or Friday.

Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, yesterday reiterated his appeal for the rival groups of beneficiaries to avoid violence, saying problems can be solved through a peaceful dialog between both parties.