Pinangalanan na ng Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ang Top 1 sa March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination (PLE).
Siya si Erwin Ken A. Parchaso, na nagtapos sa Lyceum-Northwestern University (LNU) sa Dagupan, Pangasinan.
Matatandaang lumikha ng ingay ang PLE results na inilabas earlier this April dahil hindi tinukoy ang identity ng Top 1.
Bagkus, ang nakalagay sa name field ay “Name Withheld,” na umani ng iba't ibang tanong at teorya mula sa mga netizens.
Read: NETIZENS REACT: "Name Withheld" in topnotchers’ list
Naglabas ng anunsiyo ang L-NU para batiin si Parchaso nitong April 19, 2026.
Parte ng announcement ng unibersidad: “Lyceum-Northwestern University Dr. Francisco Q. Duque College of Medicine proudly celebrates Dr. Erwin Ken A. Parchaso for achieving Top 1 in the March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination.
“A proud and well-deserved honor for Dr. Parchaso and for L-NU—rising above and excelling alongside leading institutions across the country.”
In-update naman ng PRC ang announcement of topnotchers na ginawa nito noong April 10, 2026.
Sa carousel photo, makikitang sa Top 10 topnotchers ay nakalagay na ang pangalan ni Parchaso sa Top 1 imbes na “Name Withheld.”
Kapansin-pansin din na walang nakalagay na average sa updated list. Karaniwan kasi, inilalagay ang rating kasama ang unibersidad kunsaan nagtapos ang examinee.
May ibang netizens na nagbanggit ng umano’y “almost perfect” average ni Parchaso, subalit hindi verified ang mga claims na ito.
Noong unang inilabas ng PRC ang resulta ng PLE, binanggit nito sa press release na na-withhold ang pangalan ng examinee “for further verification.”
Bukod kay Parchaso, lima pang pangalan ang na-withhold dahil sa “pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examinations.”
NETIZENS REACT
Kaugnay ng pagtukoy sa identity ni Parchaso, dinipensahan siya ng mga kapwa doktor.
Isang taga-Baguio ang nag-post para i-address ang "cheating" allegation.
“The Professional Regulation Commission has yet to release any statement regarding its decision to withhold Dr. Parchaso's name during the initial announcement of results, in fact they had no communication with him whatsoever, leaving him to surmise that he did not pass the boards at all.
“This also lead to the numerous allegations regarding possible cheating, and even theories about the topnotcher supposedly choosing not to disclose his identity for the sake of anonymity - all of which are baseless conjecture.”
Isa namang taga-Tuguegarao ang nag-post matapos ang announcement ng pagiging Top 1 ni Parchaso.
Tulad ng sinabi ng doktor mula sa Baguio, ang naging isyu raw sa sitwasyon ni Parchaso ay hindi delay kundi “communication,” partikular ang "silence that surrounds it.”
Aniya pa: “To be clear, the Professional Regulation Commission and its Board of Medicine have long upheld rigorous standards in ensuring the integrity of licensure examinations. This incident does not erase that legacy.
“But it does remind us that excellence is not only measured in outcomes but also in how those outcomes are communicated.
“Because in medicine, as in governance, timing is not a trivial detail. It is part of the service.
“Moving forward, this moment presents an opportunity, not for criticism but for refinement.
"To strengthen communication protocols. To anticipate public expectations. To ensure that recognition, when it is due, is delivered with the same excellence with which it was earned.”
Nag-post din ang LM Academy, ang review center na pinuntahan noon ni Parchaso si Baguio City.
Saad nito sa Facebook: “We witnessed your unwavering persistence firsthand. You were a constant, disciplined presence at the LM Academy Study Hall.
“Even during your self-study phase, you showed up with incredible focus, treating every hour at your desk as a step toward this historic win."
Iba-iba naman ang reaction ng netizens sa paglabas ng pangalan ni Parcheso.
Marami sa kanila ang natuwa at bumati kay Parchaso.
May iba namang pinuna ang PRC sa delayed announcement nito, lalo pa’t nagsulputan ang iba-ibang teorya kung bakit naantala ang paglabas ng pangalan ng Top 1.
Samantala, ipinaliwanag sa PRC Resolution No. 2010-547 o Amended Guidelines on the Release and Publication of the Results of Top-Ranked Examinees in the Board Licensure Examinations na ginagamit ang “Name Withheld” kapag may pending investigation.
Mababasa sa clause (published as is): “The name of a topnotcher whose examination papers may be cancelled due to his/ her possible violation of the Instruction to Examinees shall not be included in the ranking to be released.”
Dagdag pa rito: “Should his/her examination papers be upheld, his/her name shall be inserted in the Table of Results, and an appropriate amendment of the release shall be made accordingly.”