CPA exam topnotcher’s secret? Read and pray

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines –Twenty-year-old Ralley Paragas, who hails from Barangay Tambac in this city, told The STAR yesterday that while he expected to be in the top 10 in the certified public account (CPA) licensure examination administered earlier this month, being number one among the 5,468 board passers was a big bonus.

There were 13,317 accounting graduates who took the examination.

A graduate of Colegio de Dagupan (formerly Computronix College), Paragas bared the secret to his success: lots of prayers and constant reading.

Paragas, a valedictorian in high school and summa cum laude in college, garnered 92.86 percent rating in the board exam.

He said he was overjoyed when he received a call early Friday when the result of the exam was released, informing him of his feat.

“Makapalikliket (I feel ecstatic),” he said in the local dialect.

He said that as a student, he was trained to be studious and had to maintain a grade not lower than 90 for his scholarship.

“My routine was home-school only,” he said.

He advised students to focus on their studies so they will be able to achieve their expectations.

But Paragas said he also had his pastime, which was playing video games.

He said his family was his inspiration in taking the licensure exam. His father, Recto, is an auto mechanic while his mother, Evelyn, is a commerce graduate. It was his mother who encouraged him to take up accountancy, and he learned to love the course in the process.

Paragas said right after graduation, he was offered a job and scholarship by SGV and Co., the country’s largest multidisciplinary professional services firm. He accepted the job offer.

Aside from Paragas, another graduate of Colegio de Dagupan, Fern Adriel Velasco, also made it to the top 10, ranking eighth among the examinees.

Colegio de Dagupan has earlier produced topnotchers in accountancy and in other courses as well.

The other topnotchers in the recent CPA board exam were: Ian Kier Valencia of Batangas State University-Batangas City who ranked second; Ronna Mae Ferrer (Polytechnic University of the Philippines Main-Sta. Mesa) who placed third; Michael John David (Holy Angel University) and Sharmaine Dianne Mamaed (Ateneo de Davao University) who took the fourth slot and James Robert Aguila (PUP-Main-Sta. Mesa), Masako Pineda (Holy Angel University) and Stephanie Solomon (University of Baguio) who landed in the fifth spot.

Rounding up the top 10 were Catherine Joyce Espineda (Wesleyan University-Philippines-Cabanatuan City), Bethany Cheluhi Pedro (University of Saint Louis-Tuguegarao) and Hannah Faye Reyes (Dela Salle University-Lipa) who ranked sixth; Charles Reginald Hwang (Dela Salle University-Manila), Kenneth Limosnero (University of Saint La Salle) and May Anne Reyes (University of Santo Tomas) who ranked seventh; Ma. Rosa Mia Reyes (UST) and Velasco, who ranked eighth; Keren Kristel Dimaculangan (DLSU-Lipa) and Anne Frances Lee (University of the Philippines-Diliman) who ranked ninth and Gerremie Bual (San Pablo Colleges), Edward Manaloto (Holy Angel University) and Monico Paulo Ranosa (Bicol University – Daraga) who ranked tenth.