ILOILO City – A graduate of Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U) in La Paz district ranked fourth in the February 2023 Mechanical Engineering Licensure Examination.
Nikko Perez Martirizar, whose father is from Zarraga, Iloilo and mother from Capiz, got an average rating of 93.50 percent.
“Tuon gid maayo. Indi gid magpabaya sa pagtuon. Kami nag-struggle gid sa amon pag-review kay sadto indi man kami studious gid katama, subong lang gid kami nag-effort,” Martirizar advised students during an interview over DYRI RMN Iloilo.
A magna cum laude, Martirizar also emphasized the importance of self-care.
“Maglaan gid sila time sa ila self nga mag-reward once in a while, mag-take a break. Kay bal-an ta subong ang cellphone isa ka part sang life ta nga daw dira na lang time ta nabuhos. I-treat naton ang cellphone nga reward sa self. For example, nagtuon ka sa amo ni nga oras, then gusto mo mag-take a break. Indi nga puro na lang cellphone ang atupagon,” he added.
Martirizar was sleeping onboard an Iloilo-bound ship from Cebu when the result of the examination was released.
His classmate broke the news to him.
He first called his parents about him topping the examination.
“Una-una daw indi pa ako magpati. Abi ko daw nagakatulog pa ako bala haw. Ti, ulihi na nag-sink in sa akon nga amo na, pasar na gid kag nag-topnotcher,” he added.
Martirizar is planning to practice his profession in Iloilo as his way of paying back having free education at ISAT-U.
“Rest kami anay antes magpangita obra. Pero ang next ko gid nga plano is diri sa Iloilo mangita sang obra,” he added.
Meanwhile, ISAT-U ranked No. 2 among the top performing schools with a passing percentage of 97 percent – 44 passers out of 45 examinees.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Thursday night, March 2, the result of the examination. A total of 3,774 examinees passed the licensure exam for mechanical engineers out of 6,070 takers./PN