More than a topnotcher: Who is Maxine Francesco Gwyneth Baculo?

MANILA, Philippines — Who is the 25-year-old University of Santo Tomas (UST) graduate who spearheaded the 4,165 passers out of 4,447 at the October 2026 Physician Licensure Examination (PLE)?

Baculo pursued his premedical studies in UST’s LeapMed program, before continuing at the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, where he graduated summa cum laude.

And now, the first doctor in his family.

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READ: UST graduate from Calapan City tops 2026 Physician Licensure Exam

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Being in the academic spotlight was no stranger for Baculo as he also completed his junior and senior high school studies as a top student.

However, he admitted that there’s a sense of pressure that comes with being an academic overachiever. Especially, in exceeding the expectations rested upon his shoulders as his batch’s summa cum laude.

“So I think all eyes were on me na parang i-maintain as I go through med school,” he expressed.

(“So I think all eyes were on me—with the expectation that I would maintain that level of performance throughout medical school.”)

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He shared that entering medical school was a different playing field as he encountered a new flock of scholars that came from traditional medical forces and various programs. At some point, he found it hard to adjust, battling the constant doubts and dread to excel.

There was even a period when his grades had flunked.

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“Kasi sabi ko nga yung theory, it was a mental battle aside from being an academic battle. Kasi talagang araw-araw may doubts, parang araw-araw isipin mo baka kapasa ba talaga ako.,” he shared.

(“As I mentioned, the whole process was a mental battle, in addition to being an academic one. There were doubts every single day—every day, you’d find yourself wondering, ‘Will I actually pass?’”)

But he persevered, reminding himself that “pressure is a privilege”.

“Yun yung ni-try kong match you throughout this review season– to have that healthy amount of pressure na nandan yung pressure to push me para galingan pa lalo but at the same time not too much na parang nakakompromise na yung mental health ko,” he said.

READ: UST brings back USTET for Academic Year 2023-2024

(“That’s what I tried to match throughout this review season—to have a healthy level of pressure; enough to push me to do even better, but at the same time, not so much that it compromises my mental health.”)

Baculo said that he plans to further train as a urologist, a medical profession who specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the urinary and reproductive systems of a person.

He said that, after training, he intends “to go back to Mindoro to serve my home town”.

Healthcare professionals in Mindoro province remained scarce in number. Some even travel by sea to go to Metro Manila just to be treated, primarily those with special conditions that require intensive medical treatment, he detailed.

“So I think it would be good if I can train, get those skills and again go back to offer yung mga hindi pa nagagawa sa Mindoro para hindi na kailangan umalis ng mga nasa province para lang magpagamot, para lang matignan ng magaling na doktor,” he expressed.

(“So, I think it would be good if I could undergo training, acquire those skills, and then return to offer services that aren’t yet available in Mindoro—so that people in the province wouldn’t have to leave just to seek medical treatment or to be seen by a highly skilled doctor.”)

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The PLE turnout was the highest rate ever recorded, obtaining a national passing rate of 93.66 percent. UST also posted a 100 percent passing rate, with all of its 312 examinees passing the examination. /mr