BOHOLANO topnotchers of Professional Licensure Examinations given by the Professional Regulation Commission and the Philippine Bar Examinations administered by the Supreme Court of the Philippines will receive cash incentives through Provincial Ordinance No. 2023-001 signed by Gov. Aris Aumentado on March 8, 2023.
Authored by First District Board Member Aldner Damalerio, the Boholano Topnotchers Incentive Ordinance provides a P100,000 incentive for the first place; P75,000 for the 2nd to 5th place; and P50,000 for the 6th to 10th place in the PRC and Bar exams.
To qualify for the cash incentive, the topnotcher must be a Filipino citizen, a registered Boholano voter, or a graduate of any Bohol college or university prior to the examination. According to Damalerio, the ordinance credits both the topnotcher and the college or university they graduated from, citing as an example recent Certified Plant Mechanics Licensure Examination topnotcher Abram Arellano of Cristal e-College in Panglao, one of the first to qualify for the incentive.
The Education Center, tasked to implement the measure, has so far identified two who qualify to benefit from the ordinance, including Arellano and Denver John Turtoga of Bohol Island State University (BISU), who placed 9th in the February 2023 Master Plumber Licensure Examination.
Damalerio explained that although the ordinance was signed on March 8, 2023, Section 3 specifies that any qualified topnotcher within the current year, 2023, onwards can avail themselves of the cash incentive.
In case of multiple topnotchers, each of them will receive the corresponding incentive, as specified in Section 5, he added.
The local legislation lauds the achievement of the topnotcher, recognizes the prestige given to Bohol, and commends Bohol colleges/universities for the quality education they provide. It also signifies the Provincial Government of Bohol’s (PGBh) commitment to promoting excellence in the different fields of education and profession and to inspiring Boholano youth to strive for greater heights of academic excellence.
Aside from the cash incentive, qualified topnotchers will receive a Plaque of Recognition from the PGBh, a resolution of commendation from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and priority hiring for employment in the PGBh consistent with rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). (PIMO/LMS)
