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Jobs recruiter, senator bicker on nurses hiring
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Posted on Feb 15 1999
A manpower services company yesterday challenged Sen. Pete P. Reyes to come up with a more practical and permanent solution to fill up the vacancies for nurses in the Commonwealth Health Center without going through a recruitment agency.
Until an alternative has been drawn up, the CNMI will remain dependent on manpower agencies in the recruitment of nurses, said Tracy M. Guerrero, manager of Paras Enterprises Saipan Inc.
However, Reyes maintains that the use of manpower services companies to fill government positions is unconstitutional and violates the commonwealth code. Unless the Legislature passes a law to explicitly authorize the manpower agencies, their services are still considered illegal, Reyes said.
Guerrero rebuked Reyes for questioning Paras Enterprises in its role in the hiring of nurses for CHC saying the agency has been exempted under Public Law 11-6 otherwise known as the moratorium law by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to help the hospital recruit the needed personnel. She also cited Public Law 10-4 as the authority which allows CHC to recruit nurses.
But the lawmaker maintains that Public Law 11-6 was never intended to permit exemptions for manpower services companies. In fact, it merely states the requirements for employers to qualify to bring in new workers.
Paras sought an exemption from the moratorium law in a letter sent to the governor to help provide CHC the needed qualified licensed nurses. CHC and Paras signed a management agreement contract for manpower services until May 15, 1999.
On Jan. 6, 1998, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio granted the exemption since the position falls under the category of critical services.
According to Guerrero, Paras Enterprises on Saipan has spent substantial sums of money and has endured immeasurable aggravation and trial to ensure compliance with U.S. licensing requirements mandated by former Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio.
DPH is looking at the possibility of sending some local students to Hawaii to study nursing and its allied courses at the governor’s expense. The hospital has some 162 nurses, but no more than a dozen are locals, the rest are from the U.S. mainland while majority are Filipinos hired through manpower agencies.
