MANILA, Philippines – Some victories are forged not in classrooms or review halls, but in hospital beds where survival itself becomes the greatest examination.
When King Nixon C. Mabanta emerged as Top 1 in the June 2025 Architect Licensure Examination (ALE), the title crowned a journey that once teetered on the edge of death.
 |
| Photo courtesy: King Nixon Mabanta |
In January 2022, Mabanta had a straightforward goal: to take the ALE by June and finally earn the profession he had long worked toward.
Encouraged by a friend, he enrolled in a review center, cautiously optimistic that structured preparation would sharpen his chances.
Only weeks later, in February 2022, his plans collapsed when doctors diagnosed him with a severe illness that left him bedridden for nearly nine months.
“No reviews, no mock boards, no final coaching—my priority was my health,” he later recalled, as survival replaced ambition.
While his body fought an invisible war, some critics dismissed his review enrollment as wasted money and misplaced hope.
For Mabanta, however, the exam no longer mattered, because staying alive had become the only objective.
From August to October 2022, pain consumed him, inflammation crippled his body, and standing even briefly was impossible.
“We simply accepted my imminent death,” he shared, describing a period when hope felt unrealistic.
In despair, he threw away his study materials, asking himself why one should study when tomorrow seemed uncertain.
By December, his symptoms slowly eased, and with recovery came a daring resolve to reclaim his future.
He chose to take the February 2023 Master Plumber Licensure Examination (MPLE), relying solely on self-study because no review centers were available.
Against the odds, he passed and clinched the Top 2 spot in MPLE, proving resilience could still outpace illness.
Still recovering, he returned to apprenticeship work in March 2023, carefully rebuilding strength, routine, and confidence.
By 2024, his intellectual fire reignited as he resumed research, wrote books, and pursued applied mathematics, his deepest academic passion.
In December 2024, he quietly began preparing for the June 2025 ALE, guided by lessons learned from self-discipline and survival.
Skipping formal reviews, he balanced six hours of research with two hours of focused study each day.
“My research is everything to me,” he said, describing the anchor that kept his mind sharp and steady.
When exam day arrived, doubt crept in, because no preparation truly mirrors the pressure of the actual test.
Still, he pressed on, trusting the process he built when no one else believed it would work.
Mabanta’s Top 1 finish was not merely an academic triumph, but a declaration that mortality does not define destiny.
“We all bloom at the proper moment,” he reflected, framing patience as the quiet partner of perseverance.
Now bearing the title Architect, King Nixon C. Mabanta tells future examinees to believe deeply in themselves, because they are far more capable than they imagine.
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express