Three Cebuano grads land in top 10 of nat’l PT exams

Four other Cebuano graduates rank high in August exams

Abellanida, Velasco, Chan

Kevin Delgado Velasco only hoped to pass the August 2015 Physical Therapist Licensure Examination given by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).

Having graduated from Velez College with average grades last March, Velasco didn’t see himself ranking high on the exams, much less topping it.

“I didn’t expect this to happen,” he said on seeing the results of the exams on the PRC website.

Velasco scored an 86.95 average to top the 550 out of 868 examinees who passed the PT licensure exams held last Aug. 8-9. The results came out last Aug. 11.

READ: Cebuano topnotcher in therapist exam got average grades

Velasco was followed by John Amber Abellanida, also of Velez College who scored 85.75 to nab second place.

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Another Velez College PT graduate Paul Jonas Villavelez Chan scored an 84.85 average to land sixth place.

Other Cebuano students who ranked high in the exams were fellow Velez College graduates Cesar Suyko Llanto III and Alexis Katrina Abella Miole who scored 82.80 percent and 80 percent respectively.

Jose Miguel Facturan Escanuela and Beatriz Marie Cuyos Castaño of Cebu Doctors University scored 82 and 81 percent respectively to pass the PT exams.

On seeing his name at the top of the list, Velasco took a screen shot of the PRC result and uploaded the photo on his Facebook account with the photo caption “Whuttt.”

The photo had  448 likes as of 7:30 p.m yesterday.

Learn by heart

Velasco admitted to having an attention span good for one hour.

During the review, Velasco usually spent time on the gym and even played computer games.

“Just learn by heart because you don’t know what will really come out during the examination,” Velasco said.

Velasco also admitted that he was relaxed during the first few months of his review, only stepping up last July.

“I was scared that I would not be able to catch up with all the lessons for review. When I reviewed, I loved to be alone,” he told Cebu Daily News.

Passion

The 5th child of six, Velasco said PT wasn’t his first program of choice.

“When I graduated from high school, I really did not know what to take. I just took up the same course (Medical Technology) that was taken up by my brother as a preparatory course for medicine,” said Velaso, a resident of barangay Talamban, Cebu City.

His brother John Karl Delgado Velasco, who ranked as one of the top 2 in the  February 2012 Physician Licensure Examination, studied at the Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM).

“When I studied ‘Introduction to Medical Technology,’ I just realized that my passion is all about fitness and sports,” he said.

Velasco then researched on degree programs that suit fitness and sports, then he enrolled in a physical therapy course at Velez College.

Thankful

He said he was thankful to God and his parents for his success.

He said he plans to become a clinical instructor but he also wants to go to the US next year.

“I want to work in the US because I really wanted to give back to my family,” he said.

For his part, Llanto,  a resident of P. Del Rosario St. Extension, said he got a text message from his cousin telling him that he passed the exam.

“I immediately changed clothes and went to Quiapo Church to give thanks,” Llanto said.

Work abroad

He said he would wake up at 8 a.m. to review for the exams in Manila.

“My inspiration were my Mom and Dad. They were the ones who believed in me from the start,” Llanto said.

“I plan to work abroad to get some new ideas and save money and then I’ll come back in the country and make my own clinic,” Llando said./With Palompon Institute of Technology Intern Jay-Ileen Engalla