Sampung taong paghihintay at pagiging “third taker” sa board exam bago naging licensed physician si Erwin Ken Parchaso.
Si Parchaso ang Top 1 sa March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination (PLE).
Gumawa ng ingay si Parchaso dahil nang unang ilabas ng Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ang resulta ng board exam noong April 8, 2026, “Name Withheld” ang nakalagay sa Top 1.
Ginagamit ang "Name Withheld" sa licensure exam results kapag ang examinee ay “under investigation.”
In-update ng PRC ang listahan noong April 17, at dito na inilabas ang pangalan ni Parchaso na kumpirmadong Top 1 sa PLE.
Ipinaliwanag ng PRC sa eksklusibong pahayag sa PEP na na-withhold ang pangalan ni Parchaso noong una “for verification” ng kanyang outstanding exam results.
Read: PRC explains “Name Withheld” in 2026 Physician Licensure Exam
Sa kanyang speech sa ginanap na oath-taking ng newly registered physicians sa SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, ngayong Martes ng umaga, tinalakay ni Parchaso ang pagkaka-withhold sa kanyang pangalan.
Subalit mas pinagtuunan niya ng pansin ang kanyang 10-year journey bago maging licensed physician.
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PARCHASO’S JOURNEY
Binalikan ni Parchaso ang mga hirap na pinagdaanan bago maging lisensiyado, “because I believe someone out there needs to hear it.”
Top 1 si Parchaso sa PLE noong Marso 2026, pero bumagsak siya sa kanyang unang take.
Hindi naman siya natuloy sa dapat pangalawang take niya ng board exam.
“I am a retaker. Well, supposedly a third taker. But on my second attempt, I didn't even show up,” pahayag niya.
Naramdaman daw kasi niya sa kanyang second take na, "I'm not ready."
Ikinuwento rin ni Parchaso na noong kasagsagan ng pagre-review niya para sa una niyang take, nabuntis ang kanyang noo’y girlfriend pa lamang.
Dahil wala sa plano, na-overwhelm daw siya sa napipintong responsibilidad, kasabay ng pagre-review at sa planong maging doktor.
“I was rattled,” pag-amin ni Parchaso.
“I failed that first take. Not because I wasn't smart enough. But because life happened.”
Pero wala raw pinagsisisihan si Parchaso dahil nabigyan siya ng pamilyang itinuturing niyang mas mahalaga kesa sa lisensiya.
Nang mag-review naman siya para sa second take ng exam, nalalapit noon ang panganganak ng misis na niya ngayon.
“The sleepless nights were different now, less studying, more running for my wife’s cravings,” ani Parchaso.
Dahil hindi niya naibigay ang kanyang best sa pagre-review, pakiramdam daw niya ay “disservice” ito para sa pangarap maging licensed doctor.
“So I stayed home. Held my wife. And told her: ‘Not yet. But soon,’" lahad ni Parchaso.
Ang pagkakataon daw na iyon ay nagbigay sa kanya ng oras makapagpahinga at makapag-recharge.
At dumating na nga ang kanyang “third take” noong Marso.
Naganap ang March 2026 PLE noong March 23-24 at March 30-31, 2026.
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NAME WITHHELD
Nang lumabas daw ang resulta ng Physicians Licensure Examination, naiyak si Parchaso dahil hindi niya nakita ang kanyang pangalan sa listahan ng mga nakapasa.
Aniya: “I saw that the topnotcher was ‘Name Withheld’ and under investigation.
"Sabi ko, ‘Siya siguro ang rason bakit hindi ako pumasa. Hindi ako pasok sa curve dahil sa kanya. Buti nga sa kanya! Under investigation siya!’”
Ngunit laking gulat daw niya nang ilabas na sa wakas ang pangalan ng Top 1—siya pala iyon.
Isa raw itong “plot twist I never expected.”
Ani Parchaso: “That ‘Name Withheld’ I was blaming? It was me.
“I was crying over my own name. Wishing ill on myself without knowing it.
“When I found out I was the topnotcher, I laughed and cried at the same time.
"But mostly, I learned something: sometimes the biggest obstacle isn't the exam, or the PRC, or the curve. It's ourselves.”
Ang sumunod na mensahe ni Parchaso ay para sa mga nag-take ng board exam at bumagsak.
Alam daw niya ang pakiramdam.
“Those who have felt the sting of a failing score. Those who have watched batchmates move on while you stayed behind.
“I see you. I was you.
“Ten years. That's how long it took me to become a licensed doctor. Medicine alone not including pre-med. Ten years of carrying a dream that felt heavier every time I fell short.”
Pagbubunyag pa niya: “There were nights I cried in the dark so my wife wouldn't hear.
“Nights I held my child and wondered if I was failing him too.
“Nights I stared at my books until the words blurred and asked God, ‘Why can't I get this right?’
“My second take, I didn't even show up. I sat at home while others walked into the exam center. I told myself I wasn't ready.
“But the truth? I was afraid. Afraid of failing again. Afraid of disappointing everyone who believed in me. Afraid that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't meant to be a doctor at all.
“That fear almost broke me.”
Pero ang natutunan daw ni Parchaso sa sampung taong paghihintay bago siya maging licensed doctor: “you don't have to be unbreakable to be strong. You just have to keep showing up. Even when it hurts. Even when you're embarrassed. Even when you want to disappear.”
Nagbahagi pa ng instances si Parchaso tungkol sa pressure na nararamdaman mula sa iba kapag hindi pa nakapasa ng board exam.
Pero mensahe niya, “But listen carefully: you are not behind. You are not a failure. You are not your past scores.”
Hindi raw sayang ang mga taong lumipas bago siya nakapasa sa PLE.
“They were preparing you, for patience, for humility, for the kind of compassion you can only learn through your own suffering,” sabi niya.
Bagamat natagalan, sinabi ni Parchaso na mas naging malalim ang kahulugan ng pagiging doktor sa kanya.
Mensahe niya sa mga pangarap makapasa sa board exams pero nabigo: “So please, don't give up. Not because it's easy, but because you're still here.
“And being here, still trying, still hoping, still believing is already proof that you have what it takes.
“I took ten long, painful, beautiful years. And I would walk every single one of them again if it meant standing here today and telling you:
“We can do it. You can do it. And when you do, it will be worth every tear.”
Sumunod na pinasalamatan ni Parchaso ang mga taong naging instrumento para sa kanyang tagumpay: pamilya, mga kaibigan, mga guro, mga nakatrabaho.
Tinapos niya ang kanyang speech na may halong biro kaugnay ng isyu ng kanyang pagiging Top 1 sa PLE.
Ani Parchaso, “And finally, let me introduce myself properly.
“I'm Erwin Ken Angcual Parchaso. Not withheld. Not hidden. Just here.”
Ibinahagi rin ni Parchaso ang kanyang speech sa Facebook ngayong Martes ng umaga.
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