81-year-old former math teacher takes Civil Engineering board exam without calculator

MANILA, Philippines — At 81, former high school mathematics teacher Flaviano Jr. Verad Abragan has shown that pursuing a long-held dream has no age limit after taking the 2026 Civil Engineers Licensure Examination (CELE).

Photo courtesy: PRC Region 10 Page / Facebook

A resident of Malaybalay, Bukidnon, Abragan joined thousands of examinees who took the CELE on September 26 and 27 in Cagayan de Oro City.

What made his journey particularly remarkable was that he took the engineering licensure examination without a calculator.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Region 10 highlighted Abragan’s story in a social media post titled “A Dream Knows No Age,” praising his courage and determination to pursue his goal despite his age.

Abragan, who will turn 82 on December 24, graduated from Liceo de Cagayan University in 1989 and later worked as a high school mathematics teacher.

His background in mathematics may have served him well in an examination that covers structural analysis and design, applied mathematics, surveying, transportation and highway engineering, construction management, hydraulics, and geotechnical engineering.

The CELE is divided into three major areas, with Principles of Structural Analysis and Design accounting for 35%, Applied Mathematics and related subjects for another 35%, and Hydraulics and Principles of Geotechnical Engineering for 30%.

Although a calculator is not a requirement for taking the examination, numerical computations involving powers, roots, trigonometric functions, multiplication, and division make it a valuable tool for most examinees.

Abragan’s story gained attention not because of his age alone, but because he chose to continue pursuing a professional goal despite the challenges of taking one of the country’s technical licensure examinations.

The PRC is scheduled to release the September 2026 CELE results on Friday, October 2, according to its 2026 examination schedule.

Until the results are released, Abragan’s journey already stands as a reminder that determination can continue long after most people have stopped chasing new professional dreams.

— The Summit Express