April 23, 2024 | General News

Paulinian REB Topnotcher: Developing and Expanding One’s Abilities and Knowledge is Crucial for Success
The desire to succeed should not be threatened by worries and fear. A civil engineer, lawyer, and now a real estate broker has proven that this is possible.
Atty. Leo J. Ligutan, a graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Management (BSREM) program of Saint Paul School of Professional Studies (SPSPS) lands 6th place in the April 2024 Real Estate Broker (REB) Licensure Examination.
A native of Alangalang, Leyte, Atty. Ligutan spent his childhood life there with his father who works as a farmer, her mother who is a housewife, and his four siblings. Being the eldest, he felt the weight of providing a decent life for his family.
Recalling his college journey, Atty. Ligutan obtained his Civil Engineering degree from the Leyte Institute of Technology (LIT) (now Eastern Visayas State University) as a consistent Dean’s Lister, and by good fortune, he aced the Civil Engineer Licensure exam in May 1996.
Wanting to strive for greener pastures, he flew to Manila and worked in a government agency. While working, he enrolled and got his Bachelor of Laws degree at the Philippine Law School in Pasay City. Through his persistence and dedication to his childhood dream, he successfully become a legal practitioner after passing the Bar examination, considered the toughest exam to pass, in March 2011.
Charting the journey to become a licensed Real Estate Broker
While working as Attorney V at the Commission on Audit (COA), Claims and Adjudication Office, he took a leap of faith to enroll in the Real Estate Management program at SPSPS amidst the ongoing pandemic in 2021 where onsite classes have been limited and halted. The FLIES-HyFlex program implementation of the institution allowed him to attend online classes. He completed his BSREM degree in May 2023.
Similar to many, being a student in the middle of a pandemic is quite a challenge for Atty. Ligutan because he needs to get comfortable with the online learning setup. Apart from this, he also needed to make sure he was able to manage his time efficiently for work and academics.
“I have to report to office as early as 7 AM para makauwi agad at para maka-attend ng classes namin…Kung 6 PM yung start ng classes namin, kailangan by 5 PM makaalis na ako sa office kase 1 hour yung travel time pauwi,” Atty. Ligutan shared about this experience.
On Monday evening, April 22, Atty. Ligutan received the good news, he was surprised that he landed 6th place in the April 2024 REB Licensure Examination.
“I did not expect to be part of the top 10 because it was [a] difficult [exam]. I am happy that all of my sacrifices have paid off. I’m grateful to SPSPS for allowing me to obtain my REM degree during the pandemic,” expressed Atty. Ligutan.
Advice for fellow Paulinian exam takers
In an interview with the topnotcher, when asked about his secret on how he garnered a rating of 89.75%, he emphasized the importance of being consistent with his academics and complying with the subject requirements.
“Just keep on working on your assignments kase doon mag boiled down during [the] board exam…Na realized ko na may purpose pala kung bakit ako pinapagawa ng assignments dun sa mga previous subjects ko,” said Atty. Ligutan.
He also added that a chunk of his success was the guidance and practical lessons given by his teachers in SPSPS. He also felt that the knowledge he gained early in civil engineering and law was valuable in acing the exam.
For him, developing and expanding one’s abilities and knowledge is crucial for success in today’s fast-paced and competitive environment.
“Kinakailangan na marami kang skills, marami kang alam, para ikaw ay maging in-demand.”
According to the results released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Atty. Ligutan is one of the 1,337 total successful examinees out of 1,758 takers.
Meanwhile, SPSPS produced 46 new Paulinian Real Estate Brokers in the said exam.
via Oliver Daiz