Iloilo Grade 6 student wins gold in HK math olympics

MANILA, Philippines—Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa, a Grade 6 student of the PAREF-Westbridge School in Iloilo City, got a perfect score and won the Philippines’ lone gold medal in the just-concluded 15th Po Leung Kuk Primary Mathematics World Contest in Hong Kong.

The country’s math team also bagged four silver and five bronze medals, as well as two group merit awards, in the 17-nation contest, where the Philippines placed sixth overall, according to Dr. Simon Chua, president of the non-government Mathematics Trainers’ Guild Philippines (MTG) which headed the country’s delegation to the annual contest.

Thailand topped this year’s competition, followed by Taiwan, host Hong Kong, Bulgaria and Singapore. Malaysia and Indonesia took the seventh and eighth places.

The contest finals were held on Thursday, said Chua in an e-mail to the INQUIRER.

The country’s silver medalists were Sedrick Scott Keh of Xavier School, Raphael Villaluz of San Beda College-Alabang, Shaquille Wyan Que of Grace Christian College, and Terence Brian Tsai of Chiang Kai Shek College.

The bronze medals came courtesy of Mark Christopher Uy of Xavier School, Jinger Chong of St. Jude Catholic School, Luke Matthew Bernardo of Philadelphia School, Xavier Jefferson Ray Go of Zamboanga Chong High School, and Genesis Jacinth Tan of Quezon City High School.

Philippines-Team A, composed of Chong, Bernardo, Uy and Go and Philippines-Team B, composed of Tsai, Miko Johnson Ong of St. Stephen’s High School, Bon Leif Amalia of Colegio San Agustin-Biñan and Juan Pablo Abola of PAREF-Southridge School each won a merit award in the team contest.

The Philippine team leaders were Rechilda Villame, Roberto Degolacion and Lowela Mupas, while the deputies were Edmund Reyes, Juan Antonio Tuazon, Thelma Cambas and Jammal Tebeng.

Other countries that took part in the competition were the United States, Russia, China, Australia, South Korea, India, Macau, Mongolia, and South Africa.

Last year, the Philippines bagged one gold, four silver and four bronze medals in the contest, sponsored by the 132-year-old Po Leung Kuk, Hong Kong’s oldest social service organization.