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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider USJ-R graduate tops CPA licensure exam

USJ-R graduate tops CPA licensure exam

Published Oct 7, 2023 10:12 am

CEBU CITY – Back in college, Hebban Talib Tawantawan spent most of his time in the library.

Classmates would tease him that he treated the library of the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) like his house.

CPA TOPNOTCHER.jpg

“I would say I was a very studious person. I go to the library before it opens. Once it opens, it’s automatic that I was already there,” said Tawantawan.

Tawantawan’s hard work finally paid off after he and a graduate of the University of the Philippines-Visayas topped the September 2023 Licensure Examination for Certified Public Accountants (LECPA).

Tawantawan, a native of Lanao del Norte, and Allaine Beduya Collamar both obtained a passing rate of 91.17 percent.

“I can’t believe that I placed first because first of all, the exam was difficult. I was just hoping that I would pass the exam,” said Tawantawan in a press conference at USJ-R on Saturday, October 7.

Tawantawan, who graduated magna cum laude in 2022, said he was playing a computer game when one of his teachers called him to relay the good news.

He said he couldn’t contain his emotions and immediately contacted his family. “I immediately called up my mom and she started crying. My dad also started crying. Everyone was in disbelief. Everyone in the group call was really hyped,” said Tawantawan.

USJ-R has produced 50 LECPA topnotchers.

Tawantawan is the third Josenian to emerge as Top 1 in LECPA. The first was Robert Lim in 1959, followed by Gecel Codera in 2010.

“The key to success is really discipline. The board exam has a wide coverage. You need to read a lot of materials and if you do not have the discipline, you cannot cover everything,” said Tawantawan.

Tawantawan disclosed that taking up accountancy was not his first choice.

He said it was his family who encouraged him to pursue accountancy so he could be employed easily.

“My family was my biggest motivation to study hard. There was a time when we went through financial difficulty and I told myself that I should really persevere,” said Tawantawan.

The training at USJ-R also played a key role in Tawantawan’s feat.

“My teachers were there to challenge me. The training in school was really challenging,” he said.

For his feat, Tawantawan will receive from USJ-R P100,000 as cash incentive and a brand new laptop.

Aside from Tawantawan, another graduate from a Cebu City-based university also made it to the Top 10.

Megan de La Torre Mendoza of the University of San Carlos ranked sixth with a passing rate of 89.17.

Related Tags

Cebu City Hebban Talib Tawantawan Topnotcher CPALE
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