BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - Nearly all of the 10 topnotchers in this year's Criminology Board exams of the Professional Regulation Commission hail from Cordillera.
Roland Pagnas Bayangan (90.85 percent) from the University of the Cordilleras (UC) shared with Cagayan de Oro Colege graduate Xian Hilot Gaje the honor of getting the top place in the April 7-9 criminologists examinations.
Out of 13,484 who took this year’s examinations, 5,701 passed.
Placing second is Glaizel Leon Velasquez, also from the UC with a score of 90.80 percent, while other UC graduates Roger Canuto Siblagan Jr. (90.65 percent); Jess Torres Agustin (90.40 percent); Dexter Aligan Gaerlan (90.30 percent) took 3rd, 4th and 5th places, respectively.
Another UC graduate, Elizabeth Bangibang Nabanalan (90.20) placed 7th, sharing the feat with a graduate of Southern Mindanao Institute of Technology.
Ninth placers Emmanuel Carandang Cayton Jr. (89.95) and Franz Harold Sabado Ventenilla, both from UC, shared the feat with University of La Salette-Santiago graduates Roy Cabrera and Mel Sangalang.
Tenth placer Macky Behis Matbagan (89.65 percent) also came from UC.
Proud of its graduates, the University of the Cordilleras in a statement hailed the achievement of their graduates and vowed to continue reaping successes contributing to the highlands’ glory as “educational center of the Northâ€.
Again for this year, UC (formerly Baguio Colleges Foundation) had a 100- percent passing rate, leading the PRC’s list of top-performing criminology schools.
Coming in second is Lipa City Colleges with 55 passers out of 58 or a 95.83-percent passing rate, while University of Baguio placed third with 48 passers out of 55 or an 87.27-percent passing rate.
The UC has previously produced two topnotchers in the Philippine Bar -- Janet Abueg (1998) and Noel Malimban (2006).