Pharmacists, midwives, physicians and civil engineers licensure examination results

By Dr. Rex Casiple

In the first half of 2026, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) released the results of the board examinations for pharmacists, midwives, physicians and civil engineers.

In April 2026, the PRC Board of Pharmacy released the results of the Pharmacists Licensure Examination. One thousand eighty-five, or 1,085, out of 1,895 passed. Nine hundred sixty-five, or 965, first-time takers out of 1,371, or 70.3%, passed. The University of San Agustin ranked No. 1 in the examination among schools with 100 or more examinees and with at least an 80% passing percentage. Furthermore, Royce Arjan Java Fantillan of the University of San Agustin ranked No. 1 in the examination for pharmacists. The University of San Agustin is a CHED-deregulated school in Western Visayas. Nepth Micro Valera Apil of Central Philippine University ranked No. 5 in the same examination for pharmacists. Central Philippine University is a CHED-autonomous school in Western Visayas. Western Visayas produced 177 passers out of 255 takers, or a 69.41% passing percentage. One hundred sixty-two, or 162, first-time takers out of 200, or 81%, passed.

Results of the Midwives Licensure Examination were released in April 2026. At the national level, 901 out of 2,124, or 42.42%, passed. Six hundred one, or 601, out of 759 first-time takers, or 79.18%, passed. Western Visayas produced 12 passers out of 31 takers, or a 38.7% passing percentage. Seven, or 7, first-time takers out of 10 passed.

Results of the Physician Licensure Examination were released in March 2026. One thousand nine hundred fifty-four, or 1,954, out of 2,781, or 70%, passed. One thousand ninety-seven, or 1,097, out of 1,285 first-time takers, or 85.37%, passed. Western Visayas produced 98 passers out of 116 takers, or an 84.48% passing percentage. Fifty, or 50, first-time takers out of 53, or 94.34%, from Western Visayas passed. Marie Francene Rios Aquines of West Visayas State University in La Paz, Iloilo City, ranked No. 8 in the examination for physicians. All medical schools in Western Visayas performed highly, with passing averages higher than the national level.

On the other hand, results of the Civil Engineers Licensure Examination (CELE) were released in March 2026. At the national level, 6,438 out of 18,370, or 35%, passed. Five thousand eight hundred sixty-one, or 5,861, out of 12,236 first-time takers, or 47.9%, passed. Western Visayas produced 512 passers out of 1,441 takers, or a 35.53% passing percentage. Four hundred eighty-four, or 484, first-time takers out of 1,078, or 44.9%, passed. Fifty-four, or 54, first-time takers out of 100 from autonomous schools in Western Visayas passed, while 69 out of 100 first-time takers from state universities and colleges (SUCs) in Western Visayas passed.

Finally, as a whole, the results showed that first-time takers in Western Visayas performed highly in the Pharmacists Licensure Examination, with 81 out of 100 passing. Likewise, Region 6, or schools on Panay Island, performed highly, with 70 out of 100 passing. Medical schools in Western Visayas performed highly in the Physician Licensure Examination, with 94 first-time takers out of 100 passing. Region 6 schools performed highly, with 93 out of 100 passing. However, first-time takers in the Civil Engineers Licensure Examination performed poorly in Western Visayas, with only 45 out of 100 passing. Panay Island schools had a passing percentage of 46%, or only 46 out of 100 passing.

Therefore, the overall results indicate the schools’ effective implementation of the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program’s policies, standards and guidelines (PSG). Likewise, the schools’ full compliance with the PSG in medical programs reflects their high performance in the Physician Licensure Examination. The poor performance of first-time takers in the Civil Engineers Licensure Examination showed that there is a need to review and revise the PSG in the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering program, which was implemented in 2017, or nine years ago.