TOPNOTCHERS’ SMILE. Steven Abellana Namenzo and Rhea Leane Patalinjug, both Civil Engineering graduates of the University of San Carlos (USC), are Top 5 and Top 8, respectively, of the May 2016 Civil Engineering Licensure Examination . (CDN PHOTO/FERDINAND EDRALIN)
Niño Louis Steven Abellana Nemenzo was in his room last Thursday evening when he received a call from friends that he was among the top passers of the May 2016 Civil Engineering Licensure Examination (CELE).
Amid the boisterous din, Nemenzo learned he placed fifth in the CELE, with a rating of 91.35 percent.
“Although I already deciphered (what they meant) about the result, I was shaking. I could not believe it,” the 22-year old University of San Carlos (USC) graduate told Cebu Daily News yesterday.
Nemenzo said he immediately opened the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) website after the phone call from friends but stopped before he could see the results because he was still shaking. It took a while before he was calm enough to see the results via his Facebook account, he added.
The results, released by PRC in the evening of May 5, showed that only 2,245 out of 5,882 examinees passed the CELE.
Also in the top ten was Nemenzo’s classmate, Rhea Leane Bukiron Patalinjug, 22, who placed seventh with a rating of 90.90 percent.
Both graduated cum laude in March 2015 in USC. And both admitted they aimed to top the exam.
Patalinjug said she was informed after her placement in the CELE by the same friends who informed Nemenzo.
She did not think she would top the exam because she was not happy with her performance in the math subject, she said.
Nemenzo shared that when reviewing for the CELE, he would unwind by sleeping, eating or watching movies.
Patalinjug said she also gave herself a break during her year-long review period. “Take a break. If you want to sleep, then sleep,” she told CDN.
UNDECIDED
Nemenzo, the second of three children, from Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City, is raised by a stay-home mother, Luisita, and a businessman father, Stephen.
He said his father influenced him to take up civil engineering because his late paternal grandfather was also a civil engineer.
“I pursued and I learned to love it (civil engineering),” he said.
Nemenzo was, however, still undecided on what to do after passing the CELE.
He said he was considering either taking up a teaching position in a review center where he enrolled or accept a field-related post. But he would also consider working abroad, he added.
Patalinjug is also the second of three siblings. She comes from a family of engineers.
A native of Barangay Canjulao in Lapu-Lapu City, her father, Lando, is a retired engineer while her mother, Belinda, runs a business.
When asked for her plans after passing the board examination, she said, “Maybe work here for a few years and study (for a masters degree).”