Beauteous Young Ivatan Tops NMAT
by PIA-Batanes

Ivatans here and abroad take pride and joy with feelings of victory to featurize a young kababayan who has buoyed Ivatan record in the academe in the person of Valery Cantero Cabal. She is the only child of Engr. Antonio Cabal, cum laude UST graduate and Joseline Elcano Cantero Cabal, Nursing UST graduate, both Batanes High School Valedictorians of Class 1971 and Class 1976 respectively.

Valery has consistent extraordinary academic and co-curricular achievements from the grades to collegiate. Her parents, both highest achievers occupy prestigious positions being a manager of the Engineering Department of Metro Bank and a supervising nurse at North Ridge Medical Centre, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA at the same time a professor at a School of Nursing USA.

The most bemedalled pupil and a multi-awardee since kinder at La Consolacion, Biñan, Laguna, Valery was accelerated in the grades. La Consolacion College said it was the first time in history of this school that one pupil received 16 major awards at a time. She was featured on the Celebrity World page of the Manila Bulletin, March 1993 issue at the 11. She finished secondary at the Philippine Science High School at the age of 14.

Then her BS Biology at the University of Santo Tomas was a smooth sailing begetting medals right and left. She was chosen by the university to join the Search for Outstanding Students in the Philippines among the top contenders from the different department. Out of the 500 students from colleges and universities in the country who submitted their credentials to Procter and Gamble Phil. Inc. there were just 100 left after the screening examinations. All nominees were given Procter and Gamble World Wide Problem Solving Test which was the second screening that left 32 qualified for interview. The finalists were invited for Interview to determine the Students Excellence Awardees.

The 3-month search was a huge success with Procter and Gamble receiving some 150 young men and women with exceptional academic and leadership qualities. The third screening bared 12 student excellence awardees from 32 finalists. The august and victorious 12 were named from four universities: UST, De La Salle, Ateneo de Manila and UP-Diliman. And one of them representing UST was Valery Cabal.

Young beauteous and talented Valery passed the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) with a percentile of 99. This was published in the Manila Bulletin, March 21, 2000 issue.

Published in April 2000 issue of the Manila Bulletin, was Valery having topped the NMAT in the whole country, NMAT is a pre-requisite for students to pursue a Medical course.

She received P20,000 cash prize and package job opportunities.

The BNHS family as well as the Ivatan communities here and abroad congratulates Valery Cantero Cabal. Congratulations is also extended to her parents, her paternal grandparents Mrs. Alice Cabal Geronimo and family and her maternal grandparents Mr. And Mrs. Ramon Cantero and family.

Ivatans share in the success of her outstanding demonstration of academic excellence and organizational leadership who best exemplify the ideals of her university.

Congratulations and may her tribe increase.