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Our Lady of Fatima University, home of the topnotchers, once again ruled in the February 2012 Physicians’ Board Examinations.

The OLFU topnotchers were led by Top 1, Dr. Ronald Resuma Ceriales, Top 5, Dr. Irvin Lorrie Pitapit Galvan, Top 9, Dr. Cherrylyn Restrivera Laguna, Top 10, Dr. Bill Allen De Guzman Alarcon and Dr. Uzziel Ginette Aguinaldo Bascao.

On top of this achievement, OLFU first time takers of the board exam garnered an 84.38% passing rate which is another feather in the OLFU cap.

The new doctors took their board exams from Feb 19-20 and Feb 26-27. It was four grueling days which felt like a lifetime. The pressure didn’t end there because they had to wait for the results. When asked how they felt when the results finally came out, Dr. Ceriales replied “it was a mixture of happiness, excitement and relief”. Dr Irvin Galvan said he shared his joy with his parents and siblings the same with Drs. Laguna and Alarcon.

An interview with the topnotchers of Our Lady of Fatima University revealed that these young men and women are truly determined, dedicated and passionate about their chosen profession. They came from middle class families but that didn’t stop them from pursuing their dreams.

Dr. Ronald Resuma Ceriales, who was born in the province of Cotabato knew since he was a child that his dream was to become a surgeon. His plan now that he has topped the Board Exam is to do his residency in a government hospital where he can put his education into good use. Dr. Ronald is a simple guy at heart. He is the middle child of three siblings. His eldest brother is a Law graduate while their youngest is studying Accountancy. His father is a government employee working for the Department of Agriculture while his mom is a housewife. He relates “since I started medicine school, there really wasn’t anytime for other things because I was so determined to finish it”. His favorite subjects were Physiology and Pathology because he believed this two subjects already cover most areas of Medicine. On being the 1st Placer in the board exam, Dr. Ceriales shared “It’s a tough spot to be in. While I am thankful for the honor, I am also quite sure the expectations are high and it will be a constant struggle to live-up to it. I welcome the challenge though, because I truly want to become a good and compassionate doctor.”

When Dr. Irvin Lorrie Pitapit Galvan’s got a full scholarship from Our Lady of Fatima University, he saw it as an answered prayer. He decided that given the break, he will concentrate on his studies and that, he did with unbridled passion. On his first year, he studied day and night and even lost weight in doing so. He successfully went through the four years landing him as the 5th placer in the February 2012 Physician’s Board Exams. All the years of hardwork and dedication paid-off. Dr. Galvan intends to specialize as an Anesthesiologist so he can partner with his brother who is a Surgeon.



The middle child of a retired soldier, Dr. Cherrylyn Laguna is the only doctor in the family. After she finished her BS-Bio from the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, she was at a crossroad on whether to pursue medicine or join the academe. At the back of her mind, she didn’t want to have any regrets and she knew that Medicine was really in her heart. But she also did not want to burden her parents with the high cost of going to med school so she applied for scholarship at the Our Lady of Fatima University and successfully got it. For Dr. Laguna, a person who has a deep relationship with God, she believes everything she does is really for the greater glory of her creator. Having passed and finished her Medical Degree was already a blessing. Getting the 9th place in the board exam was the wonderful icing on the cake, so to speak.

Dr. Bill Allen Alarcon, intends to specialize in Internal Medicine with sub-specialty Cardiology or Endocrinology because he feels this is the area where he can help a lot of people. He shares that given the present trends and the availability of information in the internet, patients are now more knowledgeable about diseases and their possible cures. This sets the stage for a more challenging role for most doctors and in the field of medicine per se. He believes that more than knowledge on the cure is the ability to empathize and never lose sight of the very reason why they became doctors in the first place – because they value of human life. Maybe a bit idealistic for some but we need more doctors like Dr. Bill.



Dr. Uzziel Ginette Aguinaldo Bascao seen in the picture to the left garnered the other tenth place score. Unfortunately, she was not available to be intervied as of publishing of this article.


The Our Lady of Fatima University will honor the February 2012 Physicians’ Board Exam passers this March 08 with a thanksgiving and testimonial ceremony to be held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the San Lorenzo Hall in OLFU Valenzuela.

In-photo (left to right) Dr. Irvin Galvan (5^th Placer), Dr. Bill Allen Alarcon (10^th Placer), Dr. Cherrylyn Laguna (9^th Placer) and Dr. Ronald Ceriales (1^st Placer).  Not in photo is Dr. Uzziel Bascao (10^th Placer)