Yolanda survivor rules CPA exam

‘Poverty not a hindrance to success’  

MANILA, Philippines - Rommel Rhino Edusma hurdled the licensure examinations for certified public accountants (CPA) like he did the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda in November last year.

Edusma, a graduate of the Asian Development Foundation College (ADFC) in Tacloban City, topped the 2014 CPA exams with a score of 94.57 percent.

“Poverty is not a hindrance to success,” he said, adding Yolanda was just one of the many hardships in life that he had survived.

Edusma admitted that he was among those who ransacked a grocery store in Tacloban after Yolanda devastated parts of the Visayas.

“The owner told us it was OK to get food. There was a chance to get expensive gadgets but I did not. I only took food because we needed it,” he said.

Edusma, the sixth of 10 siblings, said he finished college at the age of 25 because he had to wait for an elder sibling to graduate before he could continue schooling.

His father, Rustico, 58, is a retired soldier. His mother, Flores, is a housewife.

Edusma said he finished college with the help of his brother, a member of the Armed Forces.

He took his first year at the Eastern Samar State University in Borongan City and transferred to the Eastern Visayas State University in Tacloban.

When he qualified for a scholarship from the Commission on Higher Education, Edusma enrolled at the ADFC. While studying there, he lived with his aunt, Maria Fulseda Carolino.

He said there were times that he had to walk to school and skipped meals so he could use his money for school projects.

Mayor Federico Carolino of Capoocan, Leyte took him in as his scholar and gave financial support.

Edusma was grateful to his mentors at the ADFC as well as his relatives and friends for their help.

He took review classes twice in Manila before taking the CPA test. But topping the exams came as a surprise.

“I could not believe it,” he said.

He said he would be joining accounting firm SGV soon.

Determination to succeed

Leticia Bartolome, ADFC department head for business courses, said Edusma’s determination to succeed buoyed his confidence to pass the licensure exams.

“He always emerged winner in the various accountancy contests he joined in school,” Bartolome said.

She said Edusma could have graduated with honors but he had some low grades from his previous schools.

The CPA topnotcher will attend the ADFC’s 20th founding anniversary in October.

The college held a thanksgiving mass Saturday for his feat, ADFC president Edward Chua said.