AFTER 13 years, the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) has once again produced a first placer in the accounting board.
Hebban Talib Tawantawan, 23, who traces his roots to Lanao del Norte in Mindanao, topped the Licensure Examination for Certified Public Accountants (Lecpa).
Tawantawan shares the top spot with Allaine Beduya Collamar of the University of the Philippines (UP) Tacloban. They both received a rating of 91.17.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, that 2,740 out of 8,734 examinees passed the Lecpa.
Tawantawan said the news caught him by surprise, adding that while he had expected to pass he never thought he would top the board.
“My family was my biggest motivator because there was a time in our lives when we were in a financially difficult situation, and that is when I realized I needed to work hard to help them,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Tawantawan graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy last December.
Tawantawan is the third Josenian to achieve the feat, following Robert Lim in 1959 and Gecel Codera in 2010.
He said that while he aspires to pursue law, he wants to savor his time with his family after studying accountancy for five years.
Fr. Jose Alden Alipin, USJ-R vice president for academics and research, told SunStar Cebu they plan to present Tawantawan with a cash reward of P100,000 along with a new laptop in recognition of his achievement.
Aside from Tawantawan, Megan de la Torres Mendoza from the University of San Carlos placed sixth in the Lecpa rankings.
Mendoza earned a rating of 89.17 percent, sharing the position with Allyssa Nicole Calanog Arches from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Main Sta. Mesa and Paula Angela Mendoza Magdugo from UP Diliman.
The PRC has yet to disclose the date and venue for the oath-taking ceremony for successful examinees.