•Six high school students will represent the Philippines at the upcoming 60th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
•The IMO will be held in Bath, United Kingdom from from July 11 to 22, 2019.
•The Philippine team ranked 38th out of 107 countries last year, bringing home a gold, a silver, two bronzes, and two honorable mentions.
It’s official: Six high school whizzes will represent the Philippines at the 60th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
Widely recognized as the world’s most difficult mathematics competition, the IMO will take place from July 11 to 22, 2019 in Bath, United Kingdom. A total of 636 students from 113 countries are expected to join this year.
Math-titinik!
Immanuel Josiah A. Balete (St. Stephen’s High School), Vincent U. Dela Cruz (Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science), Andres Rico M. Gonzales III (De La Salle University Integrated School), Dion Stephan J. Ong (Ateneo de Manila Senior High School), Bryce Ainsley A. Sanchez (Grace Christian College), and Sean Anderson L. Ty (Zamboanga Chong Hua High School) comprise the Philippine team.
The students were selected at the end of the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Camp (MOSC). The MOSC is an intensive training program led by the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP), in which the National Finalists of the Philippine Mathematical Olympiad (PMO) are invited to participate. Sanchez, Ty, and Dela Cruz were the first, second, and third placers in the National Stage of this year’s PMO.
Team Leader Dr. Richard B. Eden and Deputy Leader Dr. Christian Paul O. Chan Shio, both from Ateneo de Manila University, will guide the team. Observer Mr. Russelle H. Guadalupe from the University of the Philippines Diliman will join them as well.
‘Already winners’
At the team’s send-off program last June 29, Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) Director Josette Biyo told the students: “Already, you are winners in the eyes of our people.”
Ong believes that making it to the 2019 IMO team “is already its own reward.” Meanwhile, Ty shared that the IMO has been a longtime source of “fun and leisure” for him. “While I may have been different from my peers in school, the IMO has taught me lessons that I would not have learned elsewhere, and I do not regret spending four years of my high school life preparing for it.”
The country’s participation in the IMO is a project of MSP and DOST-SEI, supported by major sponsors Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) Foundation and Manulife Business Processing Services.
Last year, the Philippines brought home a gold medal, a silver medal, two bronze medals, and two honorable mentions (Gonzales and Ty), placing 38th overall.
Cover photo: DOST-SEI
Author: Mikael Angelo Francisco
Bitten by the science writing bug, Mikael has years of writing and editorial experience under his belt. As the editor-in-chief of FlipScience, Mikael has sworn to help make science more fun and interesting for geeky readers and casual audiences alike.
