Viral “Name Withheld” top-notcher now identified

Third-time taker credits years of setbacks for top score.

The mystery surrounding the “Name Withheld” topnotcher of the March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination (PLE) has now been resolved.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) initially released the list of passers without disclosing the identity of the top examinee, labeling the entry as “Name Withheld,” which quickly drew online speculation.

The topnotcher has since been identified as Dr. Erwin Ken Angcual Parchaso, a graduate of Lyceum Northwestern University.

Parchaso later shared that he is a third-time PLE taker, offering brief context to his journey to the top.

The viral self-joke

In his oath-taking speech, he recalled joking about the unnamed topnotcher “taking his spot” after not seeing his name among the passers—only to later realize he was referring to himself.

According to a Facebook post by PRC CAR – Baguio City, Parchaso recorded a rating of 95.17%, though the figure was later edited out for undisclosed reasons. If confirmed, it would be the highest score in the exam’s history.

Under PRC protocols, a “withheld” result means an examinee’s score has already been computed but is temporarily held from release pending final validation.

The March 2026 PLE results, published on April 8, produced 1,954 new doctors out of 2,781 examinees.