Yolanda survivor tops CPA board

CEBU, Philippines- Rommel Edusma, 25, who topped the licensure exams for certified public accountant is a Yolanda survivor.

Yolanda however was just one of the many storms he encountered through life, as he detailed the story of a poor kid who worked his way through school, dependent on the generosity of relatives and other people.

Rommel scored an impressive 94.57 average grade in the recent board exams, bringing pride and honor to his alma mater, the Asian Development Foundation College in Tacloban City that was badly battered by Yolanda.

The 6th of 10 siblings, Rommel said he graduated from college late because his family had to wait for an elder sibling to graduate and find work, before the younger siblings can enroll or continue schooling.  There were years when he had to stop schooling totally.

His father, Rustico, 58, is a retired soldier while his mother, Flores Cacubio, is a housewife. His father retired from service early, and since then, it was a hard life for them. The family's current official address is in Pinabacdao town of Eastern Samar, where they tend to a small farm.

With the help of his older brother, who also joined the Armed Forces after graduating, Rommel managed to eke out his way through college that also brought him from one school to another. He took his first year at the Eastern Samar State University in Borongan City of Eastern Samar. Then he transferred to the Eastern Visayas State University in Tacloban City.

In Tacloban, he lived with his aunt Maria Fulseda Carolino at the V&G Subdivision, who was kind enough to give him free room and board.

Rommel then qualified for a CHED scholarship and decided to enroll at the ADFC, near where he resided. While it was a private college, he said, he liked the class schedules because it allowed him more time to study.  There were days when he had to walk to school to save transportation money for some school project. Sometimes he would skip lunch, he said.

Mayor Federico Carolino of Capoocan, Leyte, on the other hand, took him as his scholar and supported his allowance.

Rommel unabashedly admitted that he is where he is now because of the help of relatives and friends. When it came to his school needs he felt no shame in approaching them to ask for help or borrow money. "What is important is you pay them back," he said.

He also admitted that, when Yolanda ripped through the city, he also took part in looting a grocery store nearby their house in V&G. "But I only took food. The owner told us it was okay to get food. There was a chance to get expensive gadgets but I did not. I only took food because we needed it."

Rommel also thanked his mentors and the ADFC for helping live his dream. With the support of his brother, his aunt, Mayor Carolino, ADFC and the review center where he took classes twice before taking the test.

He said he actually aspired to be on the top 10 in the board exams.. But emerging on top of the Top 10 still came as a surprise to him. "I fell happy. I almost cannot believe it," he said, adding that after the results came out on August 1, he became busy getting text messages congratulating him, and interviews from various media outlets. He would also be joining SGV and Company soon.

As for paying back the people who helped him and whether he believed in "paying it forward," Rommel said one should help others if given the opportunity. He will not forget the debt of gratitude to the people who've helped him through.

Leticia Bartolome, ADFC department head for business courses, described Rommel as a "silent student," or one who was not the flashy type but they knew he had the gem in him. Seeing his potentials, they fielded him in various accountancy contests where he always emerge the winner.

She said Rommel could have graduated with honors, except that he had some low grades in the previous schools he attended. He was an exceptional student, she noted, surmising that some hardships may have hampered him from getting excellent grades.

ADFC president, Dr. Edward Chua, on the other hand said the school had a thanksgiving mass on August 2 after learning of Rommel's feat and unveiled a huge tarpaulin congratulating the CPA board topnotcher who survived Yolanda and bring honor and pride to the school and the people of Eastern Visayas.