TWO graduates from the Visayas region topped the Physician Licensure Examination given this month, according to the Professional Regulation Commission.

Maria Inez Sellado Benedicto of West Visayas State University-La Paz and Jude Philip Pozon Cebrecus of Cebu Institute of Medicine both led the successful examinees with a rating of 87.83 percent.

Dickson Araza Laude of Remedios T. Romualdez Medical Foundation came in second with 87.67 percent, followed by Niño Pimentel Emocling of Saint Louis University with 87.58 percent.

Justine Mae Manaois Gervero, also from SLU, placed fourth with 87.08 percent, and Carl Jay Enad Jainar of University of Santo Tomas ranked fifth with 87 percent.

They were followed by Patricia Ann Sayson Franco of SLU (86.92); Kirk Louie Umali Amandoron of Cebu Institute of Medicine (86.83); Jan Camille Lorenzana Ozaeta of De La Salle Medical & Health Science Institute (86.33); and Lee-Anne Velasco Sanglay of SLU (86.33).

Completing the top 10 list are Raenald Pascual of SLU (86.25); and Brylle Domerson Mendoza, also from SLU, (86.17).

PRC said 1,084 out of 1,546 passed the examinations which were held in Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Tacloban and Zamboanga.

Meanwhile, the top performing schools with 50 or more examinees with at least 80 passing percentage are Cebu Institute of Medicine (96.68); Xavier University (91.55); Saint Louis University (90.60); West Visayas University-La Paz (90); Davao Medical School Foundation (89.36); and Cebu Doctors University (88.73).