2026 PLE topnotcher speaks out after PRC withheld his name: 'I laughed and cried at the same time'
The topnotcher of the March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination has now opened up after his name was previously withheld by the Professional Regulation Commission.
Dr. Erwin Ken Parchaso took to Facebook to share that he got emotional after seeing the exam results. It was his third take, after failing the first time while he learned his girlfriend (now wife) was pregnant, and not showing up for his second attempt, as they had a baby on the way.
He then shared that he took the time to "breathe, heal, and prepare" after skipping the second test.
"When I finally stood at the testing [center] this March, I wasn't perfect. But I was ready[...] When the results came out, I didn't see my name. I was crying outside our house," Parchaso wrote.
"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!'"
The commission only revealed the name of the topnotcher in a new post on April 10, two days after the initial release on April 8. Parchaso was revealed to be the first placer.
"That 'Name Withheld' I was blaming? It was me. I was crying over my own name. Wishing ill on myself without knowing it," he said.
"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. Once I got past that, I was finally free."
Parchaso went on to share that it took him 10 years to become a licensed doctor.
"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?'" he shared.
"But here's what I learned in those 10 years: 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 embarassed[,] even when you want to disappear."
Parchaso then shared a message to those who have yet to pass the PLE. "You are not behind. You are not a failure. You are not your past scores.Those years were not wasted. They were preparing you, for patience, for humility, for the kind of compassion you can only learn through your own suffering.
"When you finally stand where I'm standing, and you will. You’ll understand the title 'doctor' means more when you've walked through fire to earn it. 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."
The now-doctor also thanked his wife, son, parents, siblings, alma mater, hospital where he interned, and review center.
The PRC told PhilSTAR L!fe that Parchaso's name had been excluded as the list needed "further verification due to matters arising during the confidential deliberations conducted by the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine, which it could not verify while quarantined."
"The release of the corresponding result was then temporarily withheld pending the completion of a comprehensive review and statistical analysis, as well as the verification of submitted reports from the concerned regional office," they explained.
They asserted that the measure was not meant to "cast any doubt on the examinee’s integrity or capabilities," but rather to "affirm the accuracy and reliability of the results through the commission’s standard validation process."