Australia honors 59 Pinoy whiz kids

MANILA, Philippines – Some 48 young Filipino math wizards bagged honors in the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) conducted by the Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT).

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith and Professor Peter Taylor of the AMT led awarding ceremonies at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel yesterday morning where they handed out prize awards and certificates of high distinction to the 48 students who joined the AMC last July.

Ten Filipino students were given the prize award: Immanuel Incarnacion of Philippine Science High School Main; Henry Jefferson Morco and Dann Julius Tan of Chiang Kai Shek College; John Russel Virata of Gideon Academy; Jose Enrico Leceta of the Science Education Institute; Mikaela Angelina Uy, Vince Say, Austin Chua, Seanne Ng, and Carmela Antoinette Lao, all from St. Jude Catholic School.

Also present in yesterday’s ceremonies were Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro and Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines who prepared the Filipino students for the AMC tilt and other international math competitions.

The Filipino students competed with counterparts from Australia, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, China, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Malaysia in the AMC.

The AMC is an international correspondence math competition, which tests everything from the students’ basic numeracy skills to advanced problem solving. The AMC was established in 1978.

Chua said that aside from the 10 prize awardees, 38 other students got high distinction certificates.

The students who got certificates of high distinction are Cary Albert Chan, Kevin Brian Branzuela, Justin Co, Adrian Sy, Matthew Ryan Tan, Czarina Lao and Andrew Sy, all of St. Jude Catholic School; Andrea Borbe and Ezekiel Christian Ong of UNO High School, Vanessa Joy Denoman of SPED Integrated School for Exceptional Children, Scott Chua and Mario Antonio Ongkiko of Xavier School, Marc Adrian Yu of St. Stephen’s High School, Jason Carlo Carranceja of Grace Christian High School, Miguel Angelo Tolentino of East Rembo Elementary School, Justin Yturzaeta of Jubilee Christian Academy;

Raenelle Ean Ngo and Matthew Ng of Chiang Kai Shek College, Deany Hendrick Cheng of Grace Christian High School, Keith Yu and Martin Koa of St. Jude Catholic School, Isaiah Lee and Miguel Sebastian Santos of Philippine Science High School-Main, Michael Brodeth of Colegio San Agustin- Makati, Brendon Go of Xavier School;

Amiel Sy and Arvin Wilson Alba of Philippine Science High School-Main, Angelo Miguel Lorenzo of Science Education Institute, Ryan Yu and Marquis Tan of Xavier School, Alvin Uy Lim of Quezon City Science High School, Aldric Cristoval Reyes of Chiang Kai Shek College, Zheng Rong Wu of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School;

Earl Chua, Aileen Giselle Chua and Lu Kevin Ong of Grace Christian High School, Carlo Francisco Adajar of PAREF Southridge Private School for Boys, and Percival Byron Bueser of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Certificates of Prudence were also awarded to Philip Lizarda of San Beda College Alabang, Mikaela Angelina Uy of St. Jude Catholic School, Jeremy Vance Yap of Grace Christian High School, Angelina Baniqued of Saint Paul College-Pasig and Ricci Ryan Rojo of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School.

Also honored during the ceremony were the six Filipino students who garnered perfect scores in the 2008 Rio Tinto Big Science Competition, which was administered by the Australian Science Innovations, namely Joanna Santelices and Elvis Jeremy Ayroso of Philippine Science High School Main, Aeron Jason Virata of Aquinas University Science High School, Goldielyn Suzanne Limsiy of Grace Christian College, Marquis Alexander Tan and Raphael Lesmond Ku of Xavier School.

The AMT is an organization comprising representatives from the University of Canberra, Australian Academy of Science, Australian Mathematical Society, Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, and a number of academic and corporate representatives.