UP student tops 2020 licensure exam for doctors

MANILA, Philippines — A graduate of the University of the Philippines-Manila has topped the 2020 Physician Licensure Examination (PLE) held in March and September, a report of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said before the weekend.

Maria Carla Edejer Buenaflor led some 800 passers with a score of 89.17 percent. There were 1,424 examinees, according to the PRC.

The results came out eight working days after the last examinations on Sept. 20 and 21.

In second place is John Marlon Bunag Lintan of the University of Santo Tomas (88 percent); followed by Dhona Leonor Cambronero of Davao Medical School Foundation (87.92); James Daniel Estrella Omalin of De La Salle Medical and Health Science Institute (87.75), and Gremory Dennis Fundales Idago of St. Luke’s Medical Center-College of Medicine (87.58).

Bagging sixth place is Charles Vanhill Nermal Raksham of De La Salle Medical and Health Science Institute (87.17); Erika Anne Cabildo Pangan of the University of Santo Tomas (87.08); April Jean Guinto Gapo of Southwestern University (87); Jessah April Singson Naingue of Southwestern University (86.83) and Carren Emirose Honrada Solidor of Southwestern University (86.67) in 10th place.

Earlier, part two of the March 2020 Physician Licensure Examination was suspended due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Eventually, this was allowed to push through by the Inter-Agency Task Force due to the demands for more doctors during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, some 500 healthcare workers are set to be dispatched abroad, weeks after President Duterte approved the easing of deployment ban for frontliners, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said yesterday.

POEA administrator Bernard Olalia said the papers of these workers are now being processed by the agency.

“Since the deployment ban was eased, we have already began processing the papers of our healthcare workers. Almost 500 documents are being processed right now,” he told a press briefing.

In April, the POEA imposed a deployment ban on selected categories of health workers to ensure the steady supply of frontliners in the country in this time of pandemic.

The move was opposed by various health workers’ groups, particularly the Filipino Nurses United, claiming there are enough nurses in the country, with many either unemployed or underemployed.

This prompted the Inter-Agency Task Force to exempt those with verified employment contracts as of March 8.

Early last month, Olalia proposed the easing of the cut-off date to Aug. 31. This was backed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.