QUEZON City, Philippines — I don’t know if I deserve this, but I’m really thankful to God for this blessing,” said Rodrick Paul Velasco Mendoza Jr., the topnotcher of the June 2014 Architecture Board Examinations.
Mendoza, a graduate of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) and a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), topped the Architecture Board Exam conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in Manila with a rating of 85.60%.
For Mendoza, it was really a “very unexpected” blessing.
“Nakaka-overwhelm. I really wasn’t expecting this,” he said in an interview. “Gusto ko pumasa lang. Sobra-sobra ang binigay ng Diyos.”
Mendoza, the second of three children, said his father made it a point for him not to miss worship service even when he was reviewing for the board exams.
Although he started late for the board exam review, he said this “unexpected blessing” came his way. And he credits this to his and his parents’ prayers. He said his parents were his inspiration in his studies.
Mendoza recalled how he thought at first that his friends who first texted him, congratulating him on his achievement, were just joking. But more text messages and calls came later, making him realize that this was no prank, especially when he read his name in the list of board passers for Architecture.
Mendoza was on top of the 1,100 who passed the June 2014 Architect Licensure Exams, out of the 1,803 who took it this June 13 and 15.
He is the only PLM graduate in the top 10, besting other graduates from the University of the Philippines who took five slots in the top 10.
A graduate of the Technological University of the Philippines-Manila, Aaron James Morales Carlos, and a UP Diliman graduate, Jay Mark Morales, shared the second place with an 85.40% rating.
In third place was UP Mindanao graduate Murielle June Abellana Yucamco (85.20%), and in fourth place was Mark Joseph Bendicio Mirania of Bataan Peninsula State University-Balanga ( 85%).
Mykel Edrian Lim Barcena of UP-Mindanao and Regine Leaño Elaydo of Pangasinan State University-Urdaneta shared the fifth slot with a rating of 84.80%.
Three shared the 6th spot. They are Cesar Abenes Ocampo Jr., and Januin Airo Soriano Siasat, both of Saint Louis University (SLU), and Abigail David Sy of Holy Angel University — all with a rating of 84.70%.
Karla May Versola Gallardo of Saint Louis University and Kenneth Duana Guarino of the University Of Santo Tomas (UST) were both in 7th place with a rating of 84.60%. In 8th place is Marie Ashley Estanislao Mendoza of UST (84.40%), and in 9th place is Francis Reyes Esguerra of Far Eastern University-Manila (84.30%). Finally, in the 10th place are Rochelle Rhema Dime Caballo of UP-Mindanao and Maricar Monzon De Dios of UP Diliman with a rating of 84.20%
INC members recently topped the 2013 board examinations for Nursing (Kristine Joie Azarcon Danan of New Era University) and the 2014 Board Examinations for Electronics and Communications Engineering (Emmanuel Seguiran Gabriel of Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Maragondon). An INC member, UP Graduate Nielson Pangan, also topped the Bar Exams this year.
(Eagle News Service, interview courtesy INCTV)
