All examinees, whether they passed or failed the June 2006 Nursing Licensure Examination, will be required to retake the leakage-marred Tests 3 and 5, ABS-CBN's Bandila reported Tuesday.

"Lahat ay kukuha sapagkat kung balewala ang [Tests] Three and Five ay walang nakapasa at walang nahulog (All examinees will be required to retake the tests again)...at no cost to the examinees," Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said.

The examination costs P900 per examinee.

Brion said that by sitting for Tests 3 and 5 again, examinees stand to prove two things: first, those who benefitted from the leakage will have another crack at the tests; and second, board passers will have a chance to clean the slate of the tainted nursing examination process in the country.

The labor chief said that his department and the Professional Regulation Commission are now studying the basic guidelines of the retake that is expected to be released within five days.

Brion said that he expects the President to sign a new executive order that would state the guidelines of the retake of Tests 3 and 5.

PRC is now under the supervision of the labor department based on an executive order signed by President Arroyo last month.

With regard to date of the exam retake, Brion said that examinees can sit for the tests on or before the NLE scheduled for December.

"Pwedeng mag-decide ang PRC na before ngunit hindi ko nakikitang mangyayari iyan sapagkat marami ang vacancies sa Board of Nursing at mag-a-appoint pa ang pangulong Arroyo (PRC can decide on a date before December but I doubt it because there are vacancies at the Board of Nursing and the President has yet to appoint replacements)," Brion said.

He said PRC’s Resolution 31, which ordered a recomputation of Tests 3 and 5 to make adjustments on the grades of the examinees because of the leakage, has been invalidated.

"We don’t agree to toning down grades on Tests 3 and 5. I don’t understand why it should be done," he said. "Everybody should take the examination again."

Some 17,000 examinees out of 42,000 nursing graduates passed the board examination given on June 11 and 12.

The leakage, however, prompted the government to order an investigation and invalidate the results of the exam.

Reports said that about 5,000 board passers have taken their oaths as new nurses despite a temporary restraining order handed down by the Court of Appeals. With reports from Korina Sanchez and The Manila Times

military style... kasalanan ng isa, kasalanan ng lahat. sgro dahil yan sa napakaraming retired generals na may pwesto sa gobyerno ngayon...

i think they're doing it to cover the things happening to the church, like pedophile priests ad the likes... divert the attention 'ika nga...

Now the government is saying that the nursing licensure exam retakers will still get to keep their license even if they fail the retake.  They say this is for 'formality' to get jobs abroad?  Wow!  I can't believe something like this is happening.  I don't even know where to start ranting. lol 

What's the point?  If they fail and still keep their license, why go through all this trouble?  Why not just show up during examnination day, put their names on the answer sheet with nothing on it, and leave.  Either way, they know they get to keep their license.

Just another way for the government to waste your hard earned pesos. I say yours because I'm not paying taxes anymore.