Anthony Palaran Acenas obtained a rating of 87.67 percent, ranking fifth alongside Isabella del Castillo from the University of Santo Tomas.
This marks the third time that UC School of Medicine has produced a topnotcher, following Cy Johann Kent Romuga in 2021 and Mark Johnuel Duavis in 2022.
Romuga and Duavis were awarded brand-new cars by UC president and chairman Augusto Go for their achievements.
In an interview with SunStar Cebu on Friday, March 17, UC School of Medicine’s Dr. Melfer Montoya attributed the success of their graduates to the support of the administration, the passion and innovation of the faculty, and the innate intelligence and motivation of the students themselves.
Rudy Aviles, director of Student Cultural Services, confirmed that Acenas will also receive a new car and a cash incentive from UC.
UC School of Medicine recorded a 91.67 percent passing rate for the March PLE, with 11 of 12 test-takers making it through.
According to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), a total of 1,573 out of the 2,887 examinees passed the PLE.
Topping the 2023 PLE is Aira Cassandra Suguitan Castro from the Mariano Marcos State University-Batac with a rating of 89 percent.
Others who made it to the top 10 of the PLE were Philip Patrick Petelo Lee, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (second, 88.58 percent); Johanna Wileen Go, University of Santo Tomas (third, 88.25 percent); John Kevin Reforsado Base, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (fourth, 88 percent); and Psylah Trisha Alonsagay Caminos, Davao Medical School Foundation (sixth, 87.08 percent).
The other successful examinees were Zedrik Omega Ortiz, Xavier University (seventh, 87 percent); Jumela Mica Quiambao Bautista, University of the Philippines-Manila (eighth, 86.92 percent); E. Marcos Ceazar Elamparo Damasco, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (eighth, 86.92 percent); Carl Angelo Memoria Hofileña, West Visayas State University-La Paz (ninth, 86.83 percent); Anna Katrina Fule Manzano, University of Perpetual Help System-Laguna (ninth, 86.83 percent); and Claire Marie Sayon Jacinto, University of the Philippines-Manila (tenth, 86.67 percent).
The top performing school is the University of Santo Tomas with 51 passers out of its 61 examinees.
The PLE 2023 was administered in several sites in the National Capital Region, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga last week. (EKV, TPM)