Bacolod scholar ranks second in October CPA board exam

BACOLOD CITY – A Bacolodnon scholar who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree from the University of St. La Salle (USLS) here ranked second in the October 2026 Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE).

Andrea Rose Lapid Yanson, a resident of Barangay Mandalagan, earned a rating of 91.83%.

She completed her elementary education as valedictorian at Andres Bonifacio Elementary School I and pursued her senior high school education under the Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) strand at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R).

In a Facebook post, Mayor Greg Gasataya congratulated Yanson on her remarkable achievement, acknowledging her countless hours of hard work and the unwavering support of her family.

“When you shared your journey with us as one of our scholars in 2023, our only hope was to help ease the burden so you could focus entirely on your studies,” Gasataya said.

The mayor believes that every young Bacolodnon’s future should be limited only by their imagination, never by their circumstances.

“We are very grateful that you have turned that vision into a beautiful reality. Thank you for inspiring our youth and bringing pride to our city. Bacolod is proud of you, and as always, we stand by you. Padayon! (Keep going!),” Gasataya said.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) also commended Yanson’s remarkable achievement.

Aside from Yanson, USLS also recognized Antonio Iñigo Henares for securing 13th place in the same board examination, with a rating of 89.67%.

USLS also celebrated 26 new Lasallian certified public accountants, achieving an overall passing rate of 83.87%, significantly higher than the national passing rate of 37.11%.

The university also recorded an 89.66% passing rate among first-time examinees, reflecting the performance of its accountancy graduates.

Meanwhile, Andres Bonifacio Elementary School I also lauded Yanson, an alumna, for her outstanding achievement, which brought pride and honor to the entire school community.

“Your success is a true reflection of excellence, determination, and hard work. You continue to inspire every young Bonifacian to dream big and strive for greatness,” the school stated.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) released the results on Nov. 3, announcing that 3,988 out of 10,746 examinees, or 37.11%, passed the CPA licensure examination administered by the Board of Accountancy in 18 testing centers nationwide in October.