‘Spectacular’ RP math team back home after Hong Kong medal haul

The victorious 16-member Philippine math team that harvested a crop of medals including seven golds, two overall championship trophies, three silvers and five bronzes at the 12th Po Leung Kuk 12th Primary Math World Contest held in Hong Kong recently came home Wednesday night.

The team members, accompanied by their parents and trainers from the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines, arrived in Manila via Philippine Airlines flight PR 508 from Hong Kong that landed at around 8 p.m. last Wednesday.

Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines that trained and accompanied the Philippine team composed of 16 high school students divided into four groups or teams, said the performance of the team was “spectacular.”

“I’m so proud of them,” Chua said. “These students have trained and worked hard to prepare for this contest. Their performance this year is very impressive.”

Chua revealed that the seven students who won gold medals for the country, namely Hazel Abigail Lim of Hope Christian High School (Philippine Team A), Keefe Collin Tan of St. Jude Catholic School, Neil Benjamin DT. Kho of the Philippine Science High School, and Michael Brodeth of Colegio San Agustin-Makati (all of Philippine Team B); and Audrey Celine Lao of St. Jude Catholic School, Kenneth Co and Brendon Matthew Go of Xavier School (Philippine Team D), all got perfect scores in their respective tests.

The silver medalists were Isaiah Paolo Lee of the Philippine Science High School-Main, Julius Vincent Sy of St. Stephen’s High School, and Justin Edric Yturzaeta of Jubilee Christian Academy.

Bronze medalists were Henry Jefferson Morco of Chiang Kai Shek College, who won last year the only gold medal for the Philippines in the same contest; Samuel Christian Ong of UNO High School; Deany Hendrick Cheng of Grace Christian High School; Mikaela Angelina Uy of St. Jude Catholic School; and Seanne Daphne Ng of St. Jude Catholic School.

Winning the crop of medals, in turn, paved the way for the Philippines to win an overall championship awarded in the individual and team categories.

Also, Team B and Philippine Team D have been adjudged as first placers together with five other teams from Taiwan, Beijing-China, San Marcos-USA, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

It was learned that the contest had 44 participating teams from different countries such as United States, Australia, Bulgaria, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Mexico and the Philippines.

The latest victory came just three days after 14-year-old Sarah Jane Cua, another MTG-trained student, emerged as champion in Brand’s Sudoku Challenge 2008 Asia Pacific Open held in Singapore over the weekend. –Rainier Allan Ronda, Philippine Star