MANILA, Philippines -- A total of 1,515 or about 31.72 percent of the 4,776 civil engineering graduates did not re-take the board exams, the Department of Labor and Employment said Saturday.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ordered the re-take following allegations of cheating in two of the three subjects in the board exams conducted November 17 and 18, 2007.

In a statement, DoLE said that after the Court of Appeals denied the petition for the issuance of a temporary restraining order, the PRC successfully conducted the re-take on the two subjects of hydraulics and geotechnical engineering, and structural engineering and construction.

PRC has been placed under the DoLE for issues concerning employment.

PRC chairperson Leonor Rosero-Tripon said that despite opposition to the re-take by some examines, a total of 3,261 examinees took the re-take examination.

“Examinees opposed to the re-take held vigils at the PRC Central Office and in some test centers on the eve of the examination day. Early in the morning of the examination day, some had even went to the schools sites/venues to distribute manifestos and encourages other examinees no to take the examination.

The distribution of re-takers according to testing centers were: 2,016 of 2,726 in Manila, 264 of 284 in Baguio City, 135 of 342 in Cagayan De Oro City, 354 of 711 in Cebu, 198 of 360 in Davao, 93 of 132 in Iloilo, 70 of 79 in Legaspi, and 131 of 142 in Tacloban.