After helping send four children to college and spending decades working as a farmer, Diosdado “Tatay Ebang” Evangelista achieved a goal he had put aside for most of his adult life. At 72, the Candoni, Negros Occidental resident passed the November 2025 Agriculturist Licensure Examination and became a licensed agriculturist on his second attempt.
Evangelista was among the 6,678 successful examinees out of 9,742 who took the examination. He first took the licensure test in 2024 but did not pass.
For decades, Evangelista focused on supporting his family. He worked as a farmer after leaving a job as a security guard and eventually raised four children who all completed college degrees. After his children finished their studies, he returned to school and pursued a degree of his own.
In 2018, at age 65, he enrolled at Central Philippines State University-Candoni Campus. He initially took up Bachelor of Secondary Education before shifting to the BS Agribusiness program. He graduated in 2023 at the age of 69.
The following year, he took the Agriculturist Licensure Examination for the first time. The result was unsuccessful, but he returned for another attempt in November 2025 and passed.
“I just wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it,” Evangelista said. “True faith and prayers—God will always find the way.”
Aside from preparing for the examination, Evangelista also had to adjust to online requirements connected to the licensure process. In interviews, he admitted struggling with internet-based applications and document submissions.
Reflecting on his experience, Evangelista encouraged those who fail examinations not to stop trying.
“Take it positively, but never quit. There’s always another chance,” he said.
More than four decades after setting aside his own college education, Evangelista earned the professional license he had worked toward after returning to school in his mid-60s.
