DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 October) – A 7th placer medical technologist from Kidapawan topped the October 2024 Physicians Licensure Examination (PLE) with a rating of 89.33 %.
Isaac Edron Jones Orig, a graduate of the Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) in this city, topped the PLE among 6,600 examinees. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said only 3,845 of 58.27% passed.
Among the Top Ten passers, Orig is the lone graduate of a Mindanao medical school. Two are graduates of Cebu Institute of Medicine, four are from the University of the Philippines in Manila, three from the University of Santo Tomas and one from the Far Eastern University. Two placed sixth, both from UP in Manila.
Orig finished high school as Valedictorian at the Notre Dame of Kidapawan College, and proceeded to the San Pedro College in Davao City to take up Bachelor in Medical Laboratory Science, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
He ranked 7th in the Medical Technologist Licensure Examination (MTLE) in 2019 with a rating of 89.4%.
“It takes a village to raise a child. And I know because of the support and encouragement of (literally) everyone, I was able to achieve this feat. I always strive to make all of you proud, and this time, I hope I did,” Orig posted on his Facebook account on Sunday afternoon.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo Davao on Sunday morning, Orig said he felt a “sense of relief” after learning he topped the exam.
He said he only had two months to review but part of the preparations for the board exam is that he “studied hard while in medical school”
“From first year pa lang ka, dapat gwapo imong foundation sa imong pag-study sa imong mga subjects para pag-abot sa exams dali na lang siya (From first year college, you have to have a good foundation in studying your subjects so that it will be easy for you during the board exam,” he said.
Orig said he wanted to be a teacher when he was young but his grandmother, a former United States-based nurse, urged him to go to medical school.
“Gusto pod ko mahimong doctor aron magtudlo pod ko sa medical school (I also want to be adoctor so I can teach in the medical school), he said.
“I promise to pay it forward by teaching the next generation of doctors and medical technologists. To my past (and future) students, I hope I have made (or will make) a great impact in your lives,” Orig wrote.
“To everyone, dream big and believe in yourself. If someone like me can do it, you can achieve great things too. Surround yourselves with people who believe in you because at times when you don’t believe in yourself anymore, they will,” he said. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
