UC grad ranks 5th in customs broker exam

A graduate of the University of Cebu (UC) landed in the list of top 10 passers in the November 2015 customs broker licensure examination.

Alain Paul Labra Dueñas ranked 5th place with an average rating of 89.75

Alain Paul Labra Duenas of the University of Cebu. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

A total of 721 out of 1,764 passed the examination according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) website.

The examination was administered in Manila, Cebu and Davao this month. Results were released three days after the last day of exams.

Dueñas, 26, a resident of barangay Pardo, Cebu City said he stopped college studies in 2008 because of financial constraints in his degree course of Bachelor of Science (BS) in Nursing.

In 2011, said Dueñas, he decided to go back to school and prove to his parents that he could graduate.

“I also thought of the benefits of working in government so I shifted to a Bachelor of Science in Customs Administration,” he said.

“The best preparation for tomorrow is the proper use of today,” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview last night.

The second child of three siblings, Dueñas had high grades but was unable to graduate with honors at at UC in October last year because he had changed courses.

With help from his family and an aunt, he worked at an Internet cafe to support his college studies. Dueñas said he got news of his board passing in an online message through his Facebook Messenger account.

“I did not set a high goal for myself. I was afraid that I may fail,” said Dueñas who currently works in a brokerage firm.

“It is all about faith and hardwork. You should have a good foundation in college. Love what you do then read and read,” he added.