Filipino students bag 69 medals in China, Taiwan math contests

FOR most students, Math may seem to be the hardest subject, but not for these kids.

A team of Filipino whiz kids brought another honor to the country as they won a total of 69 medals in two mathematics contests held in China and Taiwan recently. According to Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG), the students won six silver medals and 63 bronzes in two contests: the 2010 China Junior High School Math Olympiad held in Tianjin, China and the Hua LoGeng Golden Cup Mathematics Invitational Competition held in ChangHua in western Taiwan.

In the Hua LoGeng Golden Cup, named after Hua LoGeng, one of China’s greatest contemporary mathematicians, the Philippine team captured four silvers and eight bronzes.

Individual silver medalists in the contest were Ma Czarina Angela Lao and Austin Edrich Chua, both students of St. Jude Catholic School, Jason Fernandez of San Beda College-Alabang in Muntinlupa, and Mario Antonio Ongkiko of Xavier School.

Bronze medalists were Kaye Yao of Grace Christian College, John Aranas of Maximo Estrella Elementary School, Ethan Riley Chan of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Aljan Balbuena of Senator R. Cayetano Memorial Science and Technological School, Philip Lizarda of San Beda College-Alabang, Jason Tan of Jubilee Christian Academy, Benson Tan of Jubilee Christian Academy and John Alexander Co of Xavier School.

Dr. Chua, coach of the MTG and the first Filipino to receive the international Paul Erdos Award in mathematics, said that all of the twelve students were lucky because they met the cut-off score and were awarded medals.

Aside from the Philippines, countries which participated in the Hua LoGeng Golden Cup are Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and China, which topped the contest.

In the 2010 China Junior High School Math Olympiad, Filipino contestants who won silver medals were Justin Bryan Chong of Grace Christian College and Julie Anne Co of Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas.

Dr. Chua said there were two contests in the China math Olympiad and almost all of the Filipino contestants won two medals each.

The Tianjin contest, organized by the Committee on Popularization of Mathematics Education of the China Mathematical Society, was participated in by China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. China also topped the contest. –ZHELLA JEAN A. HULLEZA, Manila Times