Three Negrense Graduates Excel in 2025 Teachers’ Board

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Three aspiring educators from Negros Occidental placed in the Top 10 of the March 2025 Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (LEPT), two ranking fourth and one placing seventh.

Ma. Carmel Delada of E.B. Magalona and Jacob Facultad of San Carlos City tied for fourth place with a rating of 93.20 percent, while Roxanne Ricaplaza of Cadiz City secured seventh place with 92.60 percent.

Delada, 23, is a cum laude graduate of Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) in Talisay City with a Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Science, completed in June 2024.

Facultad and Ricaplaza graduated from the Philippine Normal University (PNU) Visayas in Cadiz City with a degree in Social Science Education.

In an interview, Delada credited her success to discipline, faith, and family support.

She recalled learning about the results on May 24 while riding in a car with her parents when her review center notified her.

“It only felt real when I saw my name online after getting home,” she said.

“I felt overwhelmed, very happy, and blessed.”

The second of four children of an elementary teacher and an auto mechanic-electrician, Delada originally considered a medical course but chose teaching due to her passion for science.

She began reviewing in October 2024 and said her preparation involved strict discipline, prioritizing study over social events while maintaining a healthy routine.

“I cried after the exam because I knew I gave it my all despite how tough it was,” she said, citing the difficulty of the major subjects.

Delada admitted she was shocked to be in the Top 10.

A consistent honor student since elementary, she advised future takers to combine hard work with faith.

“It’s not enough to just believe in yourself,” she said.

“You need a strong relationship with God because nothing is impossible with Him.”

“There should be exertion of effort, and you must give your all, so that whatever the results may be, you are confident and have no regrets.”

CHMSU Talisay also ranked seventh nationwide among top-performing schools in the secondary LEPT category, with a 91.74 percent passing rate.

Out of 218 examinees, 200 passed, qualifying the school under the Professional Regulation Commission’s list of top-performing institutions with 100 to 299 examinees and at least a 90 percent pass rate.

“This is truly an honor for CHMSU to continue excelling in LEPT and producing quality graduates of our pre-service teacher education programs,” said College of Education Dean Ophelia Duayan.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recently awarded CHMSU two EQUATE Awards for excellence in elementary and secondary pre-service teacher education.

Meanwhile, PNU Visayas ranked first nationwide among top-performing schools with a 100 percent passing rate for both secondary (133/133) and elementary (28/28) first-time takers.

The 57-year-old state university in Cadiz City also lauded Facultad and Ricaplaza for their achievements.

PNU Visayas tied with its sister campuses in Manila, North Luzon, and Mindanao at the top spot.

The City Government of Cadiz hailed the school’s performance and its two topnotchers in this year’s board exam.

“Being one of the top-performing schools in the country and producing two topnotchers is splendid proof that Cadiz is a bastion of quality education,” said Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr.

Since its founding on July 15, 1968, PNU Visayas has consistently produced educators for Negros and beyond, Escalante said.

Last year, PNU Visayas also topped the LEPT elementary category with a 100 percent passing rate and alumna Tessh Balaod placing eighth among the topnotchers.

The Professional Regulation Commission announced that 55,029 out of 97,035 examinees passed the March 23, 2025 LEPT, for an overall passing rate of 56.71 percent across more than 40 testing centers nationwide.