Veronica Badilla-Dumaran, who hails from Calape, Bohol, ranked second in the November 2021 Midwife Board Examination with a rating of 89.45 percent. (Photo courtesy of Veronica Dumaran)
TAGBILARAN CITY – Veronica Badilla-Dumaran could not hold back her tears when she found out that she had passed and ranked second in the November 2021 Midwife Board Examination.
Badilla-Dumaran, 52, of Bohol Island State University (BISU)- Calape Campus, had barely three days to prepare and nursed a fever when she took the board examinations last Nov. 7 and 8.
“I had chills and I only had two hours of sleep. I was worried that if my temperature would be detected, all my colleagues and my students would also be hampered from taking the exam,” said Badilla-Dumaran, who took paracetamol and vitamins to treat pain and reduce her high temperature.
At 5 a.m. on the first day of the exam, she was hesitant to have her body temperature checked at the testing area at the University of Cebu-Main. However, a colleague assured her that everything would be fine.
“My colleague whispered to me, ‘The Lord is with you, don’t be afraid.’ Her words strengthened me as I approached the temperature scanner,” she said.
Her temperature read 36.5 degrees Celsius. But her worries were not finished yet. Every two hours, their body temperature was checked and it caused her anxiety.
Her temperature remained normal throughout the exam—a sign that God helped her.
When the test results were released last Nov. 12, she placed second with a rating of 89.45 percent. Along with her were fellow BISU examinees who successfully passed the examination and provided the school with a 94.12 percent passing rate.
“I was so happy that I even cried,” said Badilla-Dumaran.
“I really didn’t expect to be in the top 10 because I even doubted that I would pass,” she added.
Yesa Papa Garganera of Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital School of Midwifery was the first placer with 89.80 percent.
Of the 1,774 who took the exam, only 908 passed, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said.
Badilla-Dumaran is the seventh child of eight siblings from Magtongtong, Pangangan Island in Calape town in Bohol.
She is also a registered nurse and a licensed professional teacher.
She said her husband, Norberto, and daughters Aileen Marie, 28; Marian Rose, 26; and Althea Zaireen, 10, were her sources of inspiration.
Her parents Bonifacio Badilla Sr. and Francisca Bañanola Urdaneta taught her the value of patience, perseverance, and hard work.
Her advice to future exam takers is to have the right mindset and to pray.
“Dream big, never give up, focus, stay humble, and pray harder,” said Badilla-Dumaran.