By Patricia Pedroso, BA-Communication 4, The Centralian Link Intern
Central Philippine University celebrates its new batch of Registered Civil Engineers following the release of the March 2026 Licensure Examination results. The university recorded 55 successful examinees, achieving a 56.70% overall passing rate.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) recently released the results of the March 2026 Civil Engineer Licensure Exam on April 7, and once again, Central Philippine University stood tall. Out of a daunting national passing rate of only 35.05%, Centralians defied the odds, securing a 56.70% overall passing rate and welcoming 55 new engineers into the fold.
To celebrate this milestone, the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) CPU chapter hosted a thanksgiving party on April 17 in the Engineering Building, inside one of the very classrooms where these passers spent five years working through blueprints, AutoCAD, and calculus. The passers shared stories of struggle and triumph with the aspiring students who now sit in their former seats, passing on the torch to the new generation and the mantle of carrying on excellence.
Among the new engineers is a face familiar to the Centralian community: former CPUR Vice President (19th & 20th Parliament) C-Sar Mart Aguirre. Despite his long list of collegiate achievements, Aguirre admits that calling himself an engineer was a title he had not fully earned yet. Nonetheless, he felt relief, disbelief, and happiness upon seeing his name on the roster of passers, alongside his batchmates.
The journey to that title was anything but easy. Aguirre recalled the grueling six-month stay in Cebu, where many of his fellow CPU graduates enrolled in intensive review centers starting in October 2025. For some, the dedication was so absolute they chose to stay through the Christmas break— trading time with family for their studies— all for the high-stakes exams in March.
Aguirre’s path was uniquely complicated by his dual life as a high-ranking student official. He recalled a moment when his department head, concerned for his academic welfare, suggested he might want to avoid the Republic altogether. He chose to persist instead. For Aguirre, accountability was the cornerstone of his success. He maintained a firm rule: leadership should never be an excuse for academic compromise.
“Handling an event should not be the reason to be compromised with one’s own studies,” he noted. “Student leadership should be done alongside academics, not in place of it.”
This balancing act was supported by a vast network. Aguirre expressed deep gratitude to his family, his roommates during the boards, the 19th and 20th Parliaments, former Prime Ministers Crisfe Vergara and Emman Rey Saquibal, and former Presidents Mitzi Delector and Danz Quimba. From his staff in the Office of the Vice President to classmates who constantly nudged him about deadlines, he credits his success to a village of support.
When asked what it takes to survive one of the university’s most demanding programs, Aguirre was candid about the reality of the profession to aspiring Civil Engineers. “I think CPU is the right place to go. The training is very good, and it readies you for the boards. But before that, you have to be sure you truly want to be an engineer. It is a very difficult course, especially here in Iloilo,” Aguirre stated. “There will be a lot of reasons not to stay… but if you love what you’re doing, it will always, always pay off.”
Indeed, what is done with love is done well. At Central, engineers are forged at the intersection of passion and precision. Through countless sacrifices, prayers, and sleepless nights, our newly-proclaimed engineers now carry the weight of a title earned and a lifetime of learning.
Are you ready to join the ranks of the victorious? Register for the CPUCAT today and begin your own engineering legacy at CPU. Apply here: https://cpu.edu.ph/cpu-college-aptitude-test-cpucat/
For inquiries, contact the CPU Information Center:
📧 infocenter@cpu.edu.ph
📞 0921-760-2647 / (033) 329-1971 / (033) 330-7200 local 2129