CEBU, Philippines — A graduate of the Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM) ranked second in the 2019 Physician Licensure Examination administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) earlier this month.
Ray Zanoria Perez II, a resident of Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City, was the only one from Cebu who made it to the top 10 with 90.33 percent rating.
Perez was only a couple of decimals behind Federico Adriano Peralta IV of the University of Santo Tomas who took the top spot with 90.92 percent. On the 3rd spot was Rowel Calvin Castro Razon of the Angeles University Foundation (90.25); tied on the fourth spot with 89.75 are Judea Galang Gonzales of the Angeles University Foundation, Vien Christian Lim Lansangan of the Far Eastern University, and Joseph Alexander dela Cruz Paguio of the University of the Philippines-Manila.
Eugene Richard Tan Yap of the University of Santo Tomas finished fifth with 89.50. On the sixth spot with 89.42 percent are Febby Tabunda Diabordo of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute, Johanna Lynne Manalo Larosa of the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine, and Jerahmeel Aleson Lopez Mapili of the Ateneo de Manila University.
Hanna Clementine Que Tan of the University of the Philippines-Manila ranked seventh with 89.25 percent. Alyssa Samantha Catapia Fusingan and Samuel Christian Cu Ong, both of the UP-Manila, tied at 8th spot with 89.17 percent. On the ninth spot with 89.08 percent are Karl Francis Yap Chan of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health-Pasig, Patricia Monique Liwanag Torres of the University of Santo Tomas, and Daniel Gonzales Villangca Jr. of the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine.
Also shared the 10th spot with 89 percent are Sean Yukliev San Pedro Austria of the Manila Central University-Caloocan City and Carlo Jay Rubio Dejelo of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute. According to the PRC, there were 4,006 who passed the exam out of the 4,716 examinees.
Perez, in an interview over radio dyLA, said he is very happy that his girlfriend, Esther Ann Burdeos Nacita, also made it in the exam. It was dream come true for both of them.
“I am so happy that we both passed the exam,” he told dyLA.
Both are classmates at the CIM where Perez graduated Cum Laude. They also had their internship together at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila.
Perez said he did not expect to be on the top 10 but he admitted feeling pressured being the topnotcher in the 2013 Medical Technologist Licensure Examination. It was his childhood dream to become a doctor because of his father’s influence. He came from a family of medical professionals--his father is a doctor while his mother is a nurse working abroad.
“Na- inspired ko sa akong father labi pa giunsa niya pagtabang sa mga tawo, giunsa niya pagtabang ang mga kabus ug kadtong mga naglisod,” he said.
Perez plans to specialize in internal medicine.
Perez was a consistent honor student since elementary. He graduated valedictorian in elementary and salutatorian in high school. He also graduated with latin honors in college and in medical school. — Fred P. Languido (FREEMAN)