Thirteen graduates from three Davao Region nursing schools landed among the highest-performing examinees in the August-September 2026 Philippine Nurses Licensure Examination (PNLE), highlighting the region’s strong showing in this year’s national nursing board results.
Graduates from San Pedro College-Davao City, Ateneo de Davao University, and the University of Mindanao-Davao City appeared among the country’s top 10 highest places released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on September 18.
Ateneo de Davao University graduate Clifford Jay Patoc Cafe led the Davao contingent after placing second nationwide with a rating of 92.00 percent. He finished just behind overall topnotcher Dianne Tacazon Tolentino of the University of Northern Philippines-Vigan, who posted 92.20 percent.
San Pedro College produced eight of the Davao-based top performers. Maxine Angela Chua Yare placed fifth with 91.40 percent, while Khassmyr Alexandra Macado Dela Cruz ranked sixth with 91.20 percent.
Three other San Pedro graduates — Nessa Faye Morado Amorado, Athena Grace Montebon Nicholas, and Paolo Jose Louis Nicolas Traspe — tied for seventh place with 91 percent.
Andrea Paula Lazaga Basquez and Breanna Colleen Millan Pangilinan also made the list after tying for eighth place with ratings of 90.80 percent.
Ateneo de Davao University added two more top performers. Jad Lara Lacaran Baid tied for seventh place with 91 percent, while John Lloyd de Guzman Castillo tied for eighth with 90.80 percent. Alynah Gabriele Castro Alicaway also made the national list, tying for 10th place with a rating of 90.40 percent.
University of Mindanao-Davao City graduate Chabelita Zamora Batuyong rounded out the Davao contingent, earning 90.60 percent and sharing ninth place.
The number of Davao graduates exceeded the official top 10 because several examinees shared the same ranking after receiving identical ratings.
The strong regional showing formed part of a broader Mindanao performance. MindaNews reported that 20 examinees from Mindanao appeared among the highest-ranking examinees, with graduates from nine nursing schools across the island represented in the national list.
Nationwide, 28,652 of 37,359 examinees passed the August-September 2026 PNLE, resulting in a 76.69 percent national passing rate. The examination was conducted in 26 testing centers.
At Ateneo de Davao, the school reported a 96.15 percent passing rate, with 125 of its graduates becoming newly registered nurses and four placing among the national top 10.
The results put Davao’s nursing schools prominently on the national stage, with multiple graduates achieving top ratings while thousands of new nurses across the country begin the next step toward professional practice.
For the Davao Region, the latest board results offer another milestone — and the 13 top-ranked graduates now join a growing list of local nursing achievers making their mark nationally.
