The department has been exerting efforts in developing new and locally-made technologies, especially in critical and emerging areas. But it remains important to develop our expertise in foundational fields of the basic sciences such as mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry.

DoST-SEI deputy director Albert Mariño (middle in barong) with champion olympiads.

As the world continues to be globally competitive, the youth is expected to go with its flow, more so in the fields of science and mathematics.

Aside from sporting events, there are international competitions held for Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. Although sometimes overlooked, it takes Filipino students in the fields of science and math to rise to the challenge and represent the nation.

In an article published in the Daily Tribune last month, six high school students were sent by the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DoST-SEI) to the 60th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) last 11 to 22 July in Bath, United Kingdom.

They were Immanuel Josiah Balete (St. Stephen’s High School), Vincent de la Cruz (Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science), Andres Rico Gonzales III (De La Salle University Integrated School), Dion Stephan Ong (Ateneo de Manila Senior High School), Bryce Ainsley Sanchez (Grace Christian College) and Sean Anderson Ty (Zamboanga Chong Hua High School).

They were under the helm of their team leaders, Dr. Richard Eden, Dr. Christian Paul Chan Shio and Ruselle Guadalupe.

They did not only participate but went home with top honors at the prestigious tilt that saw 112 countries and 621 contestants participating.

The Filipino students have successfully bagged six medals, one silver and five bronzes, despite it being the first mathematics competition for some of their members.

The actual competition took two days and the participants were given four-and-a-half hours to solve three problems that require full solutions, giving a total of six mathematical problems for the entire competition.

De la Cruz is one of the first-timers in the IMO, and for his first try, he bagged a bronze medal. He shared that he discovered his love for math when he was still a child. Having mastered addition and subtraction in Grade 1, he wanted to learn more about the subject.

“When I won a bronze medal in the IMO, I was surprised and I felt really happy because I didn’t expect to get any medal at the IMO,” Vincent shared. “I felt happy when I was able to come up on stage and represent the Philippines, wearing the medal,” he added.

It was nerve-wracking to be part of the prestigious competition where the toughest problems and questions were fielded to every contestant. But he said as hard as the questions were, one of the challenges he had to encounter was communicating with the other teams.

“After the competition, we get to meet teams from other countries as well. At first, it was difficult to communicate with them because of the differences in our languages. But in the end, we formed new friendships among other countries in the IMO,” Vincent said.

He stressed that more than reaping the reward, he gained more valuable experiences.

“I learned that people join the IMO not just for rewards, but also for the experience. The contest has also helped me improve further,” he added.

“I realized that the IMO wasn’t just entirely a competition. It is also a place where you get to meet math enthusiasts from around the world, make a few friends with people from other countries,” he shared.

The math olympiads were recently honored in a press conference hosted by DoST-SEI. They were part of the teams gathered by the agency who received citations for their international wins.

Some of the Philippine teams awarded were International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), International Chemistry Olympiad (ICO) and International Biology Olympiad (IBO). It also highlighted the efforts of national organizers in cultivating students’ interest in the sciences.

The Philippine teams reaped bronze (Samuel Drury Wood) in the IBO; silver (Arthur de Belen) and bronze (Israel Aguba) in the IChO; and silver (Steven Reyes) and three bronzes (Caelan Joseph Consing, Lorenzo Gabriel Joquino and Allan Mesa Jr.) in the IPhO.

DoST-SEI deputy director Albert Mariño opened the event.

“I hope this event would be instrumental in gaining more support for our Philippine teams,” he said.

“The department has been exerting efforts in developing new and locally-made technologies, especially in critical and emerging areas. But it remains important to develop our expertise in foundational fields of the basic sciences such as mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry,” DoST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said.

The DoST-SEI aims to recognize the brilliance and intensive efforts of these student medalists, as well as their coaches in their respective fields.