Two Cebu grads top national mechanical engineering exam

TWO graduates from Cebu, including the son of a candle vendor at the Basilica del Santo Niño, were among of the topnotchers of the September 2011 Mechanical Engineering Licensure Examination.

A graduate from Bohol province also made it to the top ten.

The Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) announced that 1,686 out of 2,513 passed the Mechanical Engineer Licensure Examinations given by the Board of Mechanical Engineering in Manila and Cebu last Sept. 28 and 29.

Dyson Cadutdut Cabahug of the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) University was third placer with a score of 92.45 percent.

Lhoven Doremon Larrobis  of the University of Cebu landed in  8th place with a score 91.45 percent.

As a reward, UC president and school owner Augusto Go assured him a cash reward of P100,000. All 22 examinees from UC passed the exam.

Paul John Murillo Gentallan from Bohol Island State University in Tagbilaran City landed in 10th place with a score of 91.10 percent.

In an interview yesterday, Larrobis expressed gratitude to the Lord, his school and family for his achievement.

“Grabe kaayo akong pasalamat sa Ginoo nga gihatagan gyud ko niya og grasya,” said Larrobis in an interview.

Larrobis, 22 years old, from Can-asujan, Carcar City, graduated magna cum laude last March.

The eldest of six siblings, he was a working scholar in UC.

Larrobis thanked his family for their support. His mother, a  candle vendor at the Basilica del Sto. Niño, did laundry work and his father was a construction worker in Iloilo City.

Two younger siblings sought jobs after high school graduation so that Larrobis could finish his engineering course in UC.

“Sometimes, my family had to borrow money for my needs at school,” he said.

Larrobis said he would find a job so he could help his family. In the pre-board exams, Larrobis topped the tests in the Alcorcon Engineering Review Center.

Meanwhile, Cabahug who came out in 3rd place was one of the top five graduates of CIT-University.

Edgardo Concepcion, chairman of the CIT-University Mechanical Engineering department, said the school was happy with the performance of their graduates  with a passing rate of  72.5 percent or 37 out of 51 examinees.

He said this was higher than the national passing percentage. /Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan