A scholar of the Cebu provincial government was one of four Cebu topnotchers in the May 2012 Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination.
Edmond Emperio, a graduate of the University of San Jose-Recoletos, placed No. 9 after getting 91.71 percent in the exams, which was topped by Manuel Pillora Buensuceso Jr. of San Beda College in Manila. Buensuceso got a 94.86 percent rating.
The other three top 10 passers from Cebu are from the University of San Carlos. They are 4th placer Gianna Tan Chan with 92.57 percent, 7th placer Kenneth Jefferson Un Uy of USC with 92 percent, and 10th placer Shearilynn Lim Go, also of USC, with 91.57 percent.
A graduate from the the Eastern Visayas State University in Tacloban City, Richard Lei Paciencia Canete also landed at number 5 with 92.43 percent.
The results were released on Monday by the Professional Regulation Commission a day after last day of the exams.
The PRC said that 1,995 out of 5,315 passed the CPA board exam given by the Board of Accountancy in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and Legazpi this month.
Emperio said he knew the exam results would be released on Monday and so he intentionally turned off his phone and went to an Internet cafe to check.
“Nagluhaluha na akong mata sud sa Internet café, unya migawas ko ug didto nako mihilak pag-ayo (I was teary-eyed when I was inside the Internet cafe. And I went outside and cried),” said Emperio when he learned that he landed in the top 10.
He said he aimed to be number one but the exams were difficult and so he prayed to be just one of the topnotchers.
“Lord, any place in the topnotchers’ list will do,” he said.
A prayer that the Lord answered.
Emperio, who was a scholar of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s Cebu Tertiary Educational Assistance Program, said he received P25,000 incentive from the Garcia for graduating magna cum laude last October 2011.
He said he used the money in his seven months of review for the board exams in Manila.
He said he also got financial support from his cousin working in Japan and moral support from his family and aunt Leonila Toring.
He said Toring, whom he considered his “mama,” was the first person he called when he learned of his achievement.
Emperio said his aunt took care of him after his mom, Maria Linda Emperio Lawas, went to Hong Kong to work.
His mom then was a single mother and it was only when he was in high school that his mom and father got together again and married.
Despite this, he still lived with his aunt.
Emperio will be home on Thursday but he’s planning to work in public practice.
Neil Saletrero, chairman of the Accountancy Department of USJR, said they were expecting Emperio to be in the top 10.
Saletrero said the school officials were happy with the result because USJ-R got a 67 percent passing rate despite only having one topnotcher this year.
In 2010, the USJ-R accountancy department produced three topnotchers in number 1, 3 and 6 places.