PH bags 3rd silver in 2014 Int’l Math Olympiad

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine team won a silver medal, 3 bronze medals, and two honorable mentions in the recently concluded International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Cape Town, South Africa last July 3-13.

The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) said this is, by far, the best performance of the country since it joined the “hardest international math competition in the world.”

The silver medal, won by Adrian Reginald Sy of St Jude Catholic School, is the country’s third medal from IMO. The first Filipino to win a silver medal, Carmela Lao, also came from the same school.

Sy was a bronze medalist in the same competition in 2013. 

The bronze medalists are:

• Farrell Eldrian Wu (MGC New Life Christian Academy)
• Kyle Patrick Dulay (Philippine Science High School-Main Campus)
• Matthew Ryan Tan (St Jude Catholic School)

Czarina Angela Lao from St Jude Catholic School and Clyde Wesley Ang of Chiang Kai Shek College came home with honorable mentions.

Based on the competition’s mechanics, participants must solve 6 problems in two days, with each problem worth 7 points. Below’s list shows how every student fared in the competition:

• Sy – 23 points
• Wu – 18 points
• Dulay – 17 points
• Tan – 16 points
• Ang – 14 points
• Lao – 8 points

The Philippine team garnered a total score of 96 points – a huge jump from 72 points in 2013. The Philippines now belongs to the upper 44% of 101 country-participants.

DOST-SEI Director Dr Josette Biyo said the country’s performance is “sure to make other countries notice,” showcasing that science and mathematics education in the Philippines is right on track. (READ: Life lessons from mathematics)

“We are truly amazed by the victory of our national team this year. We are so happy that all 6 of our bets brought home honors,” she said in a statement Wednesday, July 16.

The team was led by Dr Jose Ernie Lope and Joseph Ray Clarence Damasco of the University of the Philippines-Institute of Mathematics and the Mathematics Society of the Philippines.

“Every year, we are inching closer towards getting that gold,” Biyo said.

“We will surely continue providing government support in these types of programs so that we will not only perform better in international contests, but more so we will improve the overall science and mathematics education landscape,” she added. – Rappler.com