Prayers, peanuts + passion for books
3Ps= No. 1 for Iloilo City fresh grad
 Philippine Daily Inquirer
 4 Jan 2010
 By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.
A PASSION FOR READING, PRAYERS and peanuts helped
Jaylord Losabia, 21, top the recent LET for the elementary
level.
The fresh education graduate of Iloilo City’s University of
San Agustin attended review classes between his private
tutoring sessions. Though reviewing helped him prepare,
Losabia says it was banked knowledge that came handy
on examination day.
He says he got “a bit frustrated” after the tough test, but
he is thankful that the “knowledge bank that I got from
reading, of which I am really fond, enabled me to answer
some of the unfamiliar questions.”
The youngest in a family of nine, he used to read the
school books of his elder brothers and sisters. As early as
the second grade, he read a history book that wasn’t
even a class requirement.
Wide reader
“I am a wide reader. I read all kinds of books,” he says.
His passion for reading helped him develop his
comprehension skills, he adds.
As early as grade school, Losabia was focused on
academics instead of joining clubs and other school
groups. He participated in quizzes in language, science,
general information and even theology.
Though not the typical nerd who studied every night,
Losabia says he was an almost permanent fixture in the
library.
Born to a carpenter’s family, Losabia finished high school
through the support of older siblings. In college, he
applied for several scholarships and got one from the
SM Foundation.
It was a friend who informed him that he had topped the
LET. He was watching television one evening when a
friend called him to say she had heard his name on the
radio.
“My initial reaction was disbelief,” he recalls. “I was very
surprised. After the news had finally sunk in, I was
thankful.”
He also felt grateful to those who prayed for him. He
says students “should not make their test-taking journey
just their own.” Like him, they should “ask for the help of
God and other people.”
But he cautions: Asking other people for help should be
done “before the exams and not during exams because
that would be cheating.”
He admits to being a funny guy and describes himself a
“happy-go-lucky” person.
He shares with future examinees these strategies that
worked for him: “If you really know the answer, then go
for it. Rationalize why the other choices are incorrect and
your choice is the correct answer. Also, eat peanuts.”
Topping the LET made Losabia feel “more confident
about myself. I’ve realized that I achieved something by
doing my very best.”
Inspiring
He hopes to be able to teach at a public grade school in
Iloilo City soon, perhaps even at his own alma mater, the
A. Bonifacio Elementary School.
“My dream is to at least help my family improve our lives
financially even though I know that a teacher only gets a
modest salary,” he says.
He will be a teacher, he says, “who never underestimates,
belittles or discourages my students. I will be the kind of
teacher who will motivate and inspire them to develop
their own potentials.”
He hopes to pursue graduate studies if he is fortunate
enough to get another scholarship.
Losabia is excited to finally be able to apply what he has
learned. He promises to do well and to prove his worth.