For months, I fought the hardest battle of my life in absolute silence.

My journey to those three letters, LPT, was not a beautiful montage of studying. It was never easy, in fact, it was a road full of detours, heartbreaks, and silent sacrifices.

Taking the board exam was my ultimate goal. But reality hit me hard: I needed to survive. I had to prioritize putting food on the table over pursuing my license. I thought I could work and review at the same time, but the pressure of being an employee drained everything out of me. So, I locked my dream in a box and focused on surviving every day.

But the calling never left my heart. When I finally saved enough money, I opened that box again. I enrolled at a review center.. I was exhausted, going straight from my demanding work shifts to the review center. For five months, I didn’t miss a single day. I survived on barely four hours of sleep, sacrificing my health, my sanity, and every bit of my free time. I gave it my absolute all.

And then… my world completely collapsed.

After all that hard work, I wasn’t able to take the September 2025 board exam due to severe complications with my Notice of Admission at the PRC. It was incredibly heartbreaking. My review center friends saw how shattered I was. They knew the blood, sweat, and tears I poured into my preparation. In that dark moment, I began to question if it was truly meant for me. I stopped reviewing. I smiled, swallowed my pain, and cheered my friends on as they took and passed their exams, but deep inside, it broke me to be the only one left behind.

But the dream refused to die…

For the March 2026 LET, I took another risk. I enrolled again at FTRC, who were incredibly helpful in identifying my weaknesses and accommodating my working-student setup. But this time, I took a different, much harder route to ensure nothing would go wrong with my documents. Because of the decentralized PRC system and the strict document requirements in Davao, I decided to file my appointment at the Zamboanga Region PRC office, where I originally graduated. This meant traveling by land for almost 40 hours, a grueling 800km back and forth journey from Davao to Zamboanga, vice versa, just to file my appointment and immediately drive back.

But the physical exhaustion was nothing compared to the emotional pain of that trip….

Being in Zamboanga meant I was so close to my hometown, yet I couldn’t even visit my parents. I could have just gone home and hugged them… but I couldn’t. It hurt so much to be that close to family and have to turn my back, but I had reasons. My LET journey was a tightly kept secret and I wanted to surprise them when I finally passed. I was financially stretched to the limit; I only had the exact fare and food allowance for the appointment. I had nothing extra. Lastly, how could I explain coming home unannounced, bringing nothing but myself and my documents? So, I endured the pain in silence, finished my PRC transaction, and drove straight back to Davao.

Nobody knew how hard I was struggling. Even though I had a job, I was quietly drowning.

Then came the sleepless nights, the endless reviews, and the countless prayers. I gave this exam absolutely everything I had left. And honestly, the waiting season was way more agonizing than the exam itself!

But today, every tear, every missed sleep, and every silent sacrifice finally make sense. I PASSED.

 

The silent battles are over. The secret is out.

KENNETH BONES LIMPONG, LPT

NATIONAL TOPNOTCHER

RANK 5 (93.80%)