Running for “konsehal?”
A social media user was surprised by a congratulatory tarpaulin her family made for her after passing the 2025 Medical Technology Licensure Examination (MTLE).
TikTok user Maria Rossana Karolina Mahinay from Buenavista, Agusan del Norte earned online attention when she shared pictures of a tarp which praised her for being a newly registered medical technologist (MedTech).
The large tarpaulin, posted on their fence, bore the following text:
Congratulations!
Maria Rossana Karolina M. Mahinay, RMT
REGISTERED MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST
FOR PASSING THE MARCH 2025 MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY LICENSURE EXAMINATION
Cheers to newly licensed RMT!
It also included a huge picture of herself.
“Woke up and I thought I was running for konsehal sa aming barangay,” Mahinay wrote on TikTok, referring to a councilor.
“RMT… registered magandang tanod??!!” she joked.
“Salamat sa boto, Lord,” Mahinay said.
In an interview with Inquirer.net, Mahinay said that her family had the tarp made for fun.
“I was happy and at the same, natawa, kasi para talagang pangkandidato. Katuwaan lang ng family po namin na maglagay ng tarp since I don’t have an official graduation picture po, so ‘yan ‘yong napili,” she was quoted as saying.
In the comments section, Mahinay said that the tarp was made by a shop that prints tarpaulins for candidates.
She also jokingly responded to some Facebook users who asked about her “platform.”
“Libreng urinalysis, kahit isang balde ng ihi, tatanggapin ko,” Mahinay said.
In another reply to a different online user, she joked about “free fecalysis” as well.
Another TikTok user quipped that RMT could also stand for “Registered Magandang Tambay.”
“HAHHAHAHA, parang mas gusto ko ‘to,” Mahinay responded with a loudly crying emoji.
The campaign season for the May 2025 midterm elections is ongoing for both local and national candidates.
One of the most popular approaches of political aspirants and reelectionists is putting up tarpaulins to make themselves known to voters. These usually include their name and image, as well as their tagline.
Meanwhile, the Professional Regulation Commission said that 6,147 out of 7,659 examinees passed the MTLE taken last March.
The MTLE is a board exam for aspiring MedTechs in the country. It screens aspiring health professionals who want to practice medical technology as a profession.
A medical technologist, also known as a medical laboratory scientist or a clinical laboratory scientist, analyzes a variety of biological specimens. They are responsible for performing scientific testing on samples and reporting results to physicians.
These professionals conduct complex tests on patient samples using equipment such as microscopes.
The data they obtain is crucial in identifying and treating illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other conditions.
ALSO READ: ‘She is a scientist’: Pinoys, med tech org back Miss Universe Philippines 2025 bet Yllana Aduana
Tarp culture
In the Philippines, it is not unusual for licensure exam passers to have tarpaulins made by their families or friends to congratulate them for a job well done.
In 2023, educational content creator Lyqa Maravilla said that a friend made a tarpaulin for her for passing the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET).
Another Filipino who passed the Physician Licensure Examination in 2019 was surprised by an LED billboard.
RELATED: Blogger Lyqa Maravilla receives ‘Mokang-inspired’ tarpaulin after passing teaching license test | Tarps leveled up! Friends greet Filipino medical board passer with billboard ad
