The Filipino-dominated crowd burst to cheers and applauses when the verdict placed one of the Philippine teams second place in the over-all ranking during the recently concluded Philippine Elementary Mathematics Competition (PEMIC) 2005 in Bohol Tropics Resort, Tagbilaran City on May 27, 2005.

The Metro Manila Team composed of:
Aileen Giselle Chua (Grade 6, Grace Christian High School), Carmella Antoinette Lao (Grade 4, St. Jude Catholic School), Dann Julius Tan (Grade 6, Chiang Kai Shek College), and Vance Mikhail Uy (Grade 6, St. Jude Catholic School), emerged as the Philippines’ most successful team in this event after achieving the second highest aggregate score of its top three members in the individual competition among the other teams.

The Hong Kong District Team bagged the top place when all four members won gold medals in the individual contest. Sofia, Bulgaria Team was slated in the third place.

Aileen Chua bagged a gold medal in the individual competition, after earning a perfect score in the fifteen-problem short answer-type examination.

Meanwhile, Lao, Tan, and Uy earned for themselves silver medallions in the individual competition.

Metro Manila grasped a gold medal in the team competition by solving all of the ten-given problems correctly.

In addition to Chua, five other members of the Philippine delegation won gold medals in the individual competition. Earl John Chua (Grade 6, Grace Christian High School) and Marquis Alexandre' Tan (Grade 6, Xavier School)
stunned the crowd for their perfect scores!

The other Filipino gold medallists were:
Rafael Perea (Grade 6, Camarin Elementary School),
Aldric Cristoval Reyes (Grade 5, Chiang Kai Shek College)

The Filipino math wizards gave the Philippines a total of sixteen gold medals.

In the other development, fifteen Filipino kids garnered the silver medals, eighteen Filipino wizards gave themselves bronze medals and twenty others received merit awards. A total of thirty six silver medals, thirty-six bronze medals, and forty-five merit awards were awarded to the Philippine Teams in the individual competition.

For the team competition, besides Metro Manila Team’s victory, Dagupan City Team composed of:
Rafael Perea,
John Francis Simeon,
Victorio Vicher (Grade 6, San Antonio Elementary School)and
Kevin Yambao (Grade 6, Pateros Elementary School)
also brought home the gold medals. Other Philippine teams also merited seven silver and seven bronze medals in this event. In all, five gold, ten silver, and fifteen bronze medals were conferred to Filipino math-gifted graders in the team contest.

Furthermore, the Tagaytay City Team composed of:
Raymond Joseph Alibutud and
Rigel Stewart Espiritu (Grade 6, San Beda College, Alabang), Darwin Ivan Carrasco (Grade 5, Pamplona Elementary School), Immanuel Encarnacion (Grade 5, Colegio San Agustin, Bi?an) added to their individual and team awards another gold medal by landing in the first place among all other teams in the Puzzle Competition, a side event in the international math olympiads.

The great achievement is attributed to the quality training Mathematics Trainers Guild, Philippines (MTG) gives to its student/pupil-members. Its remarkable feats in several international contests make the Philippines stand at par with the best competing countries. With these good results in the PEMIC 2005, MTG places Philippines in a more comfortable place in terms of young Filipinos’ mathematical skills.

Dr. Simon L. Chua, president of the MTG agrees and believes that hosting international mathematics events gives some of our mathematically gifted indigent elementary and high school students the best opportunity to compete at the international level. He believes that our intellectually brilliant Filipinos who have the greatest potential to stand out in an international contest can bring much honor and recognition if they will only be provided an avenue to display their sharp wittedness in an academic challenge.

Indeed, the avenue was finally provided when the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild Philippines, Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Education signed a Memoramdum of Agreement (MOA) to host two international contests in the country - the Philippine Elementary Mathematics International Contest (PEMIC) 2005 and the 2005 Asia Intercities Teenagers’ Mathematics Olympiad (AITMO).

The PEMIC drew the participation of 168 elementary students, representing forty-two different teams from eleven countries and territories namely: Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Sixty-six young Filipino math wizards, representing sixteen Philippine teams and a combined China-Philippines friendship team, comprised our country’s delegation to this event.

Below is the result for the individual and team events.

PEMIC Individual Contest Results
1. Chua, Aileen Giselle - Gold Medalist / PERFECT SCORER
2. Chua, Earl John - Gold Medalist / PERFECT SCORER
3. Tan, Marquis Alexandre'- Gold Medalist / PERFECT SCORER
4. Perea, Rafael - Gold Medalist
5. Reyes, Aldric Cristoval - Gold Medalist
6. Simeon, John Francis - Gold Medalist
7. Alibutud, Raymond Joseph - Silver Medalist
8. Co, Marc Terence - Silver Medalist
9. Go, Vance Eldric - Silver Medalist
10. Lao, Carmela Antoinette - Silver Medalist
11. Uy, Vance Mikhail - Silver Medalist
12. Carrasco, Darwin Ivan - Silver Medalist
13. Ong, Patrick Adrian - Silver Medalist
14. Tan, Dann Julius - Silver Medalist
15. Vicher, Victorio - Silver Medalist
16. Ba?ez, Daniel Raphael - Silver Medalist
17. Lao, Evan Niccolo - Silver Medalist
18. Ng, Matthew - Silver Medalist
19. Uy, Caitlin Joyce - Silver Medalist
20. Bunyi, Mary Kryslette - Silver Medalist
21. Espiritu, Rigel Stewart - Silver Medalist
22. Leceta, Jose Enrico - Silver Medalist
23. Robin, Galileo Gene - Silver Medalist
24. Tan, Emiliano - Silver Medalist
25. Ayroso, Elvis Jeremy - Bronze Medalist
26. Branzuela, Benetta Joy - Bronze Medalist
27. Canovas, Gabriel - Bronze Medalist
28. Dominisac, Gabriel Joshua - Bronze Medalist
29. Dy, Ervin Frederick - Bronze Medalist
30. Encarnacion, Immanuel - Bronze Medalist
31. Ola?o, Aaron Steven - Bronze Medalist
32. Tan, Eldridge Myles - Bronze Medalist
33. Wu, Zheng Rong - Bronze Medalist
34. Zheng, Zi Xin - Bronze Medalist
35. Angeles, Neil Patrick - Bronze Medalist
36. Co, Adrian Raphael - Bronze Medalist
37. Santos, Miguel Sebastian - Bronze Medalist
38. Buenvenida, Paul John - Bronze Medalist
39. Co, Kenneth - Bronze Medalist
40. Mangayayam, Marco Lloyd - Bronze Medalist
41. Sy, Abigail Crystel - Bronze Medalist
42. Ual, Rei Cid Romar - Bronze Medalist
43. Acuros, Ma. Katrina - Merit Award
44. Agtarap, Christopher - Merit Award
45. Altamera, Shari - Merit Award
46. Bihag, Jan Aureo - Merit Award
47. Chong, Cheryl Yuan - Merit Award
48. Cirunay, Dianne Faith - Merit Award
49. Cua, Sarah Jane - Merit Award
50. Fabia, Jamil Patirck - Merit Award
51. Gamboa, Jessica Marie - Merit Award
52. Go, Brendon Matthew - Merit Award
53. Lao, Audrey Celine - Merit Award
54. Lu, Elaine Mariel - Merit Award
55. Mallari, Juan Carlo - Merit Award
56. Morco, Henry Jefferson - Merit Award
57. Oh, Howard Vince - Merit Award
58. Sy, Angela Lee - Merit Award
59. Uy Lim, Alvin - Merit Award
60. Yambao, Kevin - Merit Award
61. Yusay, Lawrence Albert - Merit Award

PEMIC Team Contest Results

Metro Manila GOLD
Members: Aileen Giselle Chua
Carmela Antoinette Lao
Dann Julius Tan
Vance Mikhail Uy

Dagupan City GOLD
Members: Rafael Perea
John Francis Simeon
Victorio Vicher
Kevin Yambao

Tacloban City SILVER
Members: Earl John Chua
Jose Enrico Leceta
Patrick Adrian Ong
Galileo Gene Robin

Butuan City SILVER
Members: Cheryl Yuan Chong
Audrey Celine Lao
Mathew Ng
Abigail Crystel Sy

Ozamis City SILVER
Members: Shari Altemera
Gabriel Canovas
Gabriel Joshua Dominisac
Jessica Marie Gamboa

San Pablo City SILVER
Members: Elvis Jeremy Ayroso
Ervin Frederick Dy
Aldric Cristoval Reyes
Marquis Alexandre Tan

Tagaytay City SILVER
Members: Raymond Joseph Alibutud
Darwin Ivan Carrasco
Immanuel Incarnacion
Rigel Steward Espiritu

Tarlac City SILVER
Members: Mary Kryslette Bunyi
Kenneth Co
Aaron Steven Ola?o
Eldridge Myles Tan

Philippine-China Friendship SILVER
Members: Zheng Rong Wu
Zi Xin Zhang

Jolo City BRONZE
Members: Neil Patrick Angeles
Deneil Rafael Banez
Vance Eldric Go
Ryan Lim Yu

Puerto Princesa BRONZE
Members: Brendon Mathew Go
Emiliano Tan
Dianne Faith Cirunay
Kathryn Faith Racho

Gen. Santos City BRONZE
Members: Evan Nicollo Lao
Marco Llyod Mangayayam
Alvin Uy Lim
Lawrence Albert Yusay

Legazpi City BRONZE
Members: Benetta Joy Branzuela
Paul John Buenvenida
Jane Cua
Juan Carlo Mallari

Tagbilaran City BRONZE
Members: Ma. Katrina Acuros
Jamil Patrick Fabia
Rainier Gomez
Rei Cid Romar Ual

Pagadian City BRONZE
Members: Adrian Raphael Co
Howard Vince Oh
Miguel Sebastian Santos
Caitlin Joyce Uy

Dipolog City BRONZE
Members: Marc Terence Co
Elaine Mariel Lu
Henry Jefferson Morco
Angela Lee Sy

In High Spirits

Everybody was in high spirits after the handing out of awards held on May 27, a day after the actual competition. In his closing speech, MTG President Dr. Simon L. Chua thanked the MTG family (parents, friends and kids), DOST-SEI, major and minor sponsors, the foreign delegations, and all those responsible in spelling huge success of the international math contests. After four action-filled and memorable days that saw the participants duke it out in intense competition, interact with representatives of other nations, enjoy the sights and sounds of Bohol province, and embrace the unique Filipino culture, the Philippines’ simultaneous staging of the Philippine Elementary Mathematics International Contest and the Asian Intercities Teenagers’ Mathematics Olympiad had to draw to a close.

However, that doesn’t mean that the MTG’s 2005 campaign in international mathematics competition is already over. In fact, it has only just begun. In the upcoming months, we would see the MTG kids travel to different parts of the world to represent the Philippines in various international mathematics competitions. Hopefully, our successful participation in those events will inspire the MTG Kids who shall be chosen to be part of the future delegations to do better in the succeeding competitions that the Philippines will be participating in. Congratulations to all the MTG family for a job well done!!!