BACOLOD CITY — Overwhelmed by her feat, Krisha Marie Gan Badillo, the country’s latest topnotcher in the Physical Therapist Licensure Examination, believes giving her best and relying on God’s help through it all were the key to her success.
“What I feel right now is inexplicable, with so many mixed emotions,” she says in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) days after the results were released on August 15.
The summa cum laude graduate of the Riverside College here garnered a rating of 89.05 percent to clinch the number one spot in the examination given by the Professional Regulation Commission on August 11-12.
Badillo, who hails from La Carlota City, is the only examinee from Negros Occidental and one of two from the Visayas who made it to the Top 10.
As she was expecting the results to come out that fateful Wednesday, she stayed at home, watched a movie, prayed and fell asleep. When she woke up, she saw countless congratulatory messages on her mobile phone.
A brownout stalled her first attempt to check the results online, but when she eventually saw her name as the topnotcher, she cried and rushed to tell her grandmother, who was the only other person at home. When her parents, Danilo and Jona, later came home, they had a tearful celebration as well.
The 21-year-old achiever, who graduated salutatorian from Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School, says it wasn’t her personal goal to top the board examination, but with her excellent performance during the pre-board examinations in school and during the review, her mentors believed she would ace the tests.
“My school and my review center were hopeful I would make it, but I kept in mind what happens in the present does not always guarantee (the same thing in) the future. I found the board exam difficult, therefore I was able to conclude that my capability in answering the questions was purely because of God’s guidance,” she adds.
Badillo spent four months in Cebu City, staying with her aunt and uncle, to review for the board examination.
She says reviewing with her best friends made the whole experience fun despite the challenges.
“The review season was actually one of the best learning experiences I had. We got to know ourselves better, we met people who were really passionate in our field, our faith in God became stronger, and we absolutely had fun despite the pressure and stress,” she adds.
The rest, they say, is history.
Badillo, however, confesses that Physical Therapy was not her first choice for a college degree because she actually wanted to be a nurse like her elder sister, Stephanie Joan.
“I didn’t know what Physical Therapy was until a few months before high school graduation. I looked it up and I found it interesting,” she says. “Over my college years, I have learned to love and embrace what it really means to be a Physical Therapist.”
She adds that in the Philippines, Physical Therapy services are often neglected because most people have not realized its importance. “We are often regarded as mere masahistas,” she admits.
Badillo says the best thing about being a Physical Therapist is the “hands-on nature” in patient care.
“The feeling that you are instrumental in helping a patient who was once bedridden, unable to stand and eat on his own, take his first steps independently once again, and do the things that give meaning to life, is incomparable,” she shares.
For now, Badillo, who will soon take her oath as PTRP or Physical Therapist Registered in the Philippines, says she’s praying for discernment on what to pursue in the future.
“Taking up Medicine is a strong option, but as a start, I would like to practice the Physical Therapy profession here in the Philippines,” she says. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
