The University of the Philippines Mindanao, Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies proudly congratulates Dr. Claire Marie Sayon Jacinto, 10th placer in the March 2023 Physician Licensure Examination with a grade of 86.67%. A total of 1,573 out of 2,887 examinees (54.49%) passed the said examination held on March 5, 6, 12, and 13, 2023, in Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga.

Dr. Jacinto is a product of the UP Mindanao BS Biology program under the Department of Biological Science and Environmental Studies. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and was the Class Valedictorian of the Class of 2016. She took her degree in medicine at the University of the Philippines Manila.

Dr. Jacinto's achievement is not only a personal milestone but also a source of pride. As a former Iska, she is an inspiration to current and future students of UP Mindanao who will also be making their marks as excellent nation-builders.

Happy anniversary to everyone in UP Mindanao!

UP Mindanao is closest to my heart because I am from Mindanao. I grew up in Mindanao, and identify with Mindanao. I have committed resources for the development of this region as with the nation. Mindanao has seen so much change since the first time I served on the Board of Regents as a student representative. Being a member of the Board of Regents as a young scholar has exposed me to some of our people's most persistent problems, especially at the University of the Philippines Mindanao.

 I was again privileged to be part of the Board of Regents from 2016 to 2021, wherein the administration of former UP president Danilo Concepcion initiated high-impact innovations in the academic, administrative, infrastructure, social, and cultural dimensions of the university. It paved the way for us to continue the way for the university's transformation into our envisioned world-class university. Attuned to 21st-century teaching, learning research, and public service to the nation and the world. We are fortunate to inherit such a university, and I am grateful to be part of a team of policymakers and administrators who will build on these foundations and make an even better university. 

UP Mindanao’s anniversary theme of convergence for partnerships resonates with me. I fully support the chancellor's strategy for transformative education. I also thank everyone at the University of the Philippines Mindanao for their service, especially during the pandemic's peak. Through your work, the university continues to live up to its mission and tradition of serving, and now, the creation of a new world and a better world.