Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU awards cash incentives to topnotchers

By Ian Paul Villanueva

To honor its graduates’ commendable performance in national board examinations, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) awarded cash incentives to 10 of its topnotchers in the recent psychometrician and physical therapist licensure examinations.

Pursuant to MMSU Board of Regents Resolution No. 19, s. 2025, Top 1 placers are entitled to Php100,000, Top 2-3 Php80,000, Top 4-5 Php60,000, and Top 6-10 Php40,000.

Among the new psychometricians who received cash incentives are Wincy Ayunon (Top 4), Maria Alyssa Castillejos (Top 7), Mark Stephen Ipac (Top 7), Ricka Sarah Gumarang (Top 8), Mark JC Pascual (Top 8), Ariel Cesar Antonio, Jr. (Top 9), and Moyrah Shaina Colobong (Top 10).

The seven awardees are among the 54 passers of the September 2026 Psychometrician Licensure Examination from MMSU, representing a perfect institutional passing rate that widely surpassed the national rate of 91.72%. The figures were enough for MMSU to gain the honor as the Top 1 performing school among institutions with 50 to 99 examinees.

In the physical therapy boards, three alumni, Aldrei Edu (Top 2), Ainsly Rhyss Gapusan (Top 3), and Richmelle Respicio (Top 6), were also awarded cash incentives.
 

The three alumni are among 64 who hurdled the June 2026 Physical Therapist Licensure Examinations, where MMSU was Top 2 among schools with over 25 examinees and an above 90% passing rate.

University President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr., expressed his commendations to the topnotchers, saying their achievements bring immense honor to the university. He also welcomed them to the MMSU Topnotchers Club, in which he, as a topnotcher himself, is also a member.

Dr. Manzano also bared that a proposal has been made to amend the current BOR Resolution and increase the incentives for topnotchers to: Php200,000 for Top 1, Php100,000 for Top 2-3, Php80,000 for Top 4-5, and Php60,000 for Top 6-10.
 

Underscoring the awarding of cash incentives is the university’s commitment to recognizing significant achievements of its students as well as to incentivize high performance in national board examinations.