Of Sugbuak and the Nursing board retake

They say that anyone from other parts of the Philippines who visits Cebu for the first time will somehow always extend their stay. It's really not surprising though because most Cebuanos would tell you in a heartbeat that Cebu is a wonderful place - a blend of the old and the new, a modern-day metropolitan area still tinged with sites of heritage and history. Over the centuries, it has established itself as a strong and popular island on the Philippine map. It took centuries to make this mark and so many events along the way that thankfully molded Cebu to be what it is today. An awareness of our past is essential to establishing our personality and our identity as Cebuanos. Then suddenly and swiftly, here come the bills in Congress proposing to create Cebu del Sur, Cebu del Norte and Cebu Occidental.

This move to split the island of Cebu into four smaller provinces is absurd. Cebu Island is not a piece of meat that we can just chop up to serve it best. A united Cebu earned its place over history. There is strength in unity. A divided Cebu would be a weakened Cebu.

We are told that the creation of smaller provinces would be beneficial and spur economic growth and development in those areas. While that thought is tempting to believe, it seems hardly attainable. Under whose leadership would this supposed economic growth and development happen? We would need four of those ideal leaders for each province to make this Sugbuak proposal viable. The only thing sure is this: It would result to even more politicians. And as practiced oh-so-commonly here in the Philippine setting: More political dynasties. But we have enough of those. It would be more beneficial to us all that politicians actually do something when they hold office, instead of creating even more offices to hold.

We can argue about technicalities and semantics. But when all superfluous details and flowery talk are taken away, there is little argument among us. Cebu upholds a distinct and potent identity. It should be kept intact.

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It seems almost certain that there will be a retake of certain tests in nursing board exam for the June 2006 passers. The Executive Order mandating the retake of certain tests in the board exam for all passers has already been drafted.

There was no conspiracy in the cheating, or reportedly even lack thereof in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. So why is this retake being ordered as if there was conspiracy, as if the "act of one is the act of all" and the punishment of one is the punishment of all? Moreover, why will all board passers be ordered to retake, when there is evidence that the leakage was only in certain areas? For punishment to be imposed, it must first be proven that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt. But sadly, in this controversy, evidence pointing out the innocence of many is immaterial. It seems as though they're all presumed guilty anyway. It's unfair. Or more appropriately, unjust.

Though this isn't really a criminal case in the textbook definition, still, in any situation, why punish the innocent?

It all seems really simple. In a sentence, in the common battlecry: "No retake. Punish the guilty. Spare the innocent." But I was reading from a website that "the leakage was so pervasive that it is almost impossible to objectively distinguish the innocent from the guilty. Worse, the PRC and the BON, in a sweeping, dubious and illogical move, employed a statistical mumbo-jumbo that effectively punished the innocent along with the guilty." There were facts and statistics to prove that.

If so, then no matter how demoralizing the idea may be, the only way to fully clear the names of June 2006 nursing Board passers and to expel all this suspicious stigma attached to them, would be a retake in those tests in the board exam. It is actually beneficial in the long run to the nurses themselves. Without it, they could be perpetually labeled as "cheaters" in the nursing board exam history.

The thing is, the nursing profession is a service to the sick and the weak. It's about healthcare. It is a profession of humility, integrity, compassion and genuine concern for a patient. If even a nurse's entrance to the nursing world is tainted with suspicion and distrust, then his/her work may be tainted with suspicion and distrust as well. The core values of the noble nursing profession cannot be compromised or sacrificed. To maintain our international quality of nurses and to keep our trust in their knowing hands, the profession must be upheld at all times, at any point of history, with honesty, integrity and honor. Even if it means going the tedious extra mile to prove it. Even at the price of a retake.

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