THE University of Santo Tomas was hailed as the lone top-performing school in the September 2012 Registered Electrical Engineer (RRE) licensure exam with two Thomasians in the top 10, the Professional Regulation Commission data showed.
A total of 56 out of 64 Thomasians passed the exam, obtaining a passing rate of 87.50 percent. All those who passed took the exams for the first time.
Aldrick Paguio Arceo placed seventh overall after getting a score of 89.60 percent, while Airalynne de Vera Torres landed on the eighth rank with an 89.45 percent score. Both graduated magna cum laude last March.
Although it may appear that UST’s passing rate declined from last year’s 90 percent to this year’s 87.50 percent, Faculty of Engineering Dean Josefin S. de Alban Jr. said the recent result is better than the previous one, adding that the rate difference between the national and UST’s passing rates should be considered to determine the University’s performance.
Last year, 1,519 out of 2,618 aspirants passed the exam, resulting in a 58.02 percent national passing rate. On one hand, a total of 1,569 passed out of 2,947 takers in the recent exam, equal to a national passing rate of 53.25 percent.
The rate difference between the national and UST’s passing rates increased to 34.25 percent from last year’s 31.98 percent. The 2.27-point increase implies that that the University improved in its performance in the REE licensure exam.
“Kahit na bumaba ‘yung rate ng UST, basta lang ‘yung difference between UST and the national must be equal or mag-increase [to indicate good performance in the exam],” de Alban said.
In April 2012, UST obtained a passing rate of 75 percent with three out of four Thomasians passing the same exam. De Alban noted, however, that schools base their performance “always [on] the September or November exams.”
He also shared that the improvement in the recent exam was expected because the Electrical Engineering (EE) Department stepped up, resulting in the department’s performance in the board exams.
De Alban, who will end his term as dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the end of the semester, said that if he was asked to describe the EE Department, he would say they are “inspired.”
“The EE Department is very happy because we were able to get two professional engineers from outside,” he said, pertaining to Thomasian engineers Rodrigo Gutierrez and Ma. Theresa Pangilinan. “[The students] are inspired because they are more united and the [their] presence alone gives enough inspiration to our students.”
De Alban also shared that ASEAN engineer Raymond Marquez, also a Thomasian, serves as an encouragement to the said department as well, adding that the unity in the department add up to the students’ inspiration.
When asked what he would prefer between UST being the top-performing school and a number of Thomasian topnotchers, the outgoing dean said they are aiming for both but “if God gives us some advantages, we have to thank Him for it.”
By Patricia Joyce V. Salarzon
