Spokesperson says Bello’s suggestion to scrap licensure exams made ‘in jest’

Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III shares a light moment with the Philippine media delegation after answering queries during a press briefing at the Orchard Hotel in Singapore on April 27, 2018. REY BANIQUET/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — After receiving flak for his suggestion to remove board and licensure examinations for would-be professionals, a spokesperson of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Friday said his principal only made the comment “in jest.”

Department of Labor and Employment spokesperson, Information Director Rolly Francia said that Bello only brought up the suggestion out of frustration due to the lack of nurses and health professionals in the country, amid the number of nursing students, who could not practice their profession because of the attendant requirement to pass the licensure exams.

“He may have suggested it in jest dahil nga dun sa pangangailangan, kasi maraming kailangang nurses, maraming kailangang medical professionals,” Francia said during a virtual briefing on Friday.

(He may have suggested it in jest because there is a need for more nurses and medical professionals.)

“So dahil nag-pandemic, hindi nakapag-exam, baka pwede nga naman tanggalin dahil kailangan ng mga nurses, ganun lang po ‘yun, it is no serious opposition,” he added.

(Because there is a pandemic, and there were no exams, maybe the requirement could be waived because we need nurses. That’s it, there is no serious opposition.)

Francia also clarified that Bello’s statement to abolish the bar exams is just a “suggestion” to the institutions governing these professions.

“Hindi niya nais saklawin ang awtoridad ng Korte Suprema, at iba pang branches ng pamahalaan na nagbibigay ng lisensya para sa naturang propesyon, particularly sa mga abogado,” he said.

EDV