Three years ago, a young man from Nueva Vizcaya made headlines as the country’s topnotcher in the Medical Technologist Licensure Examination. This year, he did it again, now as the topnotcher in the Physician Licensure Examination.

Kharam Baricaua Molbog, a Novo Vizcayano from Quezon, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, topped the October 2025 Physician Licensure Examination (PLE) with a 91.17 percent rating, leading the 4,570 passers out of 5,900 examinees, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Molbog first made his mark in August 2022, when he also ranked first in the Medical Technologist Licensure Examination with a score of 91.90 percent.

A consistent achiever, he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Meritissimus (99.17%) from the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, where he was also Batch 2024 Valedictorian, Rector’s Awardee for Academic Excellence, and a St. Dominic Scholarship recipient.

Dr. Molbog was also the first Novo Vizcayano to receive a P200,000 incentive from the Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya after topping the MedTech board in 2022.

The following are the successful examinees who obtained the ten highest ratings in the October 2025 Physician Licensure Examination:

1. Kharam Baricaua Molbog — University of Santo Tomas — 91.17%

2. Eris Orlan Sto. Domingo Muñoz — University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center — 90.67%

3. Charles Jerome Reyes Bartolo — University of the Philippines-Manila — 90.25%

4. Jorel Franco Antone Navotas Tangpuz — Cebu Institute of Medicine — 89.42%

5. Zairah De Leon Monjardin — Far Eastern University–Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation — 89.25%

Beatrice Hope Go Reyes — St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine–William H. Quasha Memorial, Inc. — 89.25%

6. Nathan Ross Baoy Bantayan — University of the Philippines-Manila — 89.17%

7. Judah Elijah Manticahon Cagas — West Visayas State University-La Paz — 89.08%

Johann Vincent Gan Lam — Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health — 89.08%

8. Abigail Christine Dayata Sim — Cebu Institute of Medicine — 89.00%

9. Yousef Tahamid Naeem — Ateneo de Zamboanga University — 88.92%

10. Jarvin Vincent Chua Lumauig — University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center — 88.83%