It doesn’t happen every day.
A name from the provinces breaks into the glossy top ten of a national licensure exam, usually dominated by the old powerhouse schools in the capital. But this week, not one, but two young architects from Palawan State University muscled their way into the ranks of the country’s most promising new design professionals.
Julius Karl Aniar Magno placed 6th. Paul Michael Acosta Gabinete, not far behind, claimed the 8th spot. And if you think it was easy, think again.
These two graduates didn’t just survive the June 2025 Licensure Examination for Architects. They excelled in it, alongside hundreds of other examinees nationwide. But what separates Magno and Gabinete isn’t just their test scores. It’s their origin story.
From a public university more known for its laid-back coastal charm than academic headlines, the two brought honor not just to their families and professors, but to an entire island.
“Their excellence has brought immense pride and honor to the entire Palawan State University community,” the university said in an official statement this week. It was the kind of formal praise that barely scratches the surface of what this means for a regional school like PalawanSU, and for the faculty who shaped them.
In the same breath, the statement honored the often-unseen labor of professors, studio mentors, and sleepless faculty members in the College of Architecture and Design: “Your unwavering guidance, mentorship, and commitment to academic excellence have played a vital role in shaping the success of our new architects.”
This win comes on the heels of the university’s 60th Charter Day celebration, a time already thick with nostalgia and institutional pride. If the newly unveiled Pagbanwak marker, designed to represent the act of rising or soaring, needed a living metaphor, it just found two.
Magno and Gabinete now carry the weight and gift of being more than just new professionals. They are symbols—walking proof that you don’t need to be in Manila to make a mark. You just need drive. Talent. And a willingness to outwork the rest.
PalawanSU summed it up with a phrase now echoing across its campuses: Mabuhay ang ating mga bagong Arkitekto!
Indeed. Long live them. And may their lines, whether in buildings or in life—always point upward.
Congratulations, PalSU!
Via Palawan Daily News
