To complete skyscrapers, they must be built from the ground up—a construction that does not happen overnight but years of eyeing consistency and commitment. This is a story of a CTU alumnus, a mathematical prodigy among the farmlands, who topped the 2026 Civil Engineers Licensure Examination.
Rico Quiñones Elao, a renowned nationwide CE quizzer and a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Cebu Technological University–Dumanjug Extension Campus, attested that building one’s future entails going through the grounds of goal-setting.
In the heart of Barangay Guadalupe, Alegria, Cebu, Rico’s parents regularly tend to their vegetable fields. Among these are carrots, lettuce, and onions. Rico’s family of eight is also a beneficiary of the government’s cash transfer program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
With Rico’s industrious parents under the scorching sunrays and 4Ps assistance, his educational necessities were favorably funded, alongside his older sister’s support, who works as a Social Welfare Officer in Barili’s Local Government Unit.
Young Rico also fathomed his possession of a math wizard’s brain, settling on any major course in Engineering as long as it encompassed his favorite subject. He then took up Civil Engineering.
Typically, he was like any student who craved a temporary escapade in any medium for a pastime distraction outside the academic sphere. He was, in fact, hugely fond of mobile games, which he brushed aside in his college days because “mahurut man akung time gud sa pagduwa,” he says.
With that, Rico grasped the value of weighing priorities, opting for the long hours of studying, and eventually acquiring an endorsement from his CTU Instructor for Gillesania Engineering Review and Training Center (GERTC) in his sophomore days.
Apart from combatting on the digital battlegrounds, he excelled in real-life matches. As if it’s nature, he made it to the Finals of the 39th National Civil Engineering Students’ Quiz and in the Individual Competition “Rising Without CEasing” Visayas Leg, finishing off as the Champion. These early victories stirred expectations and quietly intensified the pressure ahead of the licensure examination.
While the pressure augments, his sleep schedule deteriorates, gaining only two hours of sleep before the actual examination, recalling that “…wala gyud ko makatulug kay mag hunahuna man ka gud sa exam.” However, that did not stop Rico from outperforming all 18, 370 examinees, recording a rating of 94.10%.
Now acknowledged as Engr. Rico, he tips aspirants about the ways of a studious champion, stating, “Kung nag-aim sila nga makapasar sa board exam or ma-top sila, dapat consistent jud ilang pagtu-on.”
Constructing the edifice of success is a toilsome task, but through years of discipline, resilience, and unwavering focus, Engr. Rico has not only built his own path but also etched his name among Cebu Technological University’s proudest milestones./Faith Hyacinth L. Pacquiao, CTU Main-BAL Intern