Last year’s top 3 winners at the Philippine Mathematical Olympiad (PMO) reclaimed their top posts as the best of this year’s crop albeit different rankings during the final competition held at the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Labor and Industrial Relations Auditorium, UP Diliman, Quezon City, on January 21.
Albert John Patupat of De La Salle University Integrated School, last year’s second runner-up, claimed the top spot at the 19th PMO, besting two of the country’s math geniuses.
Patupat was followed by Kyle Patrick Dulay of Philippine Science High School-Main Campus (first runner up) and Farrell Eldrian Wu of MGC New Life Christian Academy (second runner-up). They comprised the top 3 of the competition for two straight years. Patupat won P20,000 cash prize, trophy and gifts from Sharp Calculators. Dulay received P15,000 cash prize, while Wu got P10,000, along with trophies and gifts from Sharp Calculators.
The three winners were all members of the national team in last year’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), where Dulay and Wu won for the country its first gold medals along with two silvers, one of which was won by Patupat. Four-thousand five-hundred thirty-three students from all over the country participated in the qualifying stage held in October last year, of which 212 were selected to proceed in the area stage held in various regional testing centers in November 2016.
The PMO, the oldest and most challenging mathematics competition in the country, is organized by the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP) in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI).
SEI Director Dr. Josette Biyo congratulated the winners, as well as the finalists from the 212 high-school students who qualified in the area stages.
Biyo reminded the finalists to make use of their talents in serving as “ambassadors of mathematics” among the youth, as the subject remains feared despite its increasing importance in other fields and in development.
“As part of the millennial generation, it is important that you serve as promoters of the field of mathematics among your peers. Most people remain intimidated by the field that you enjoy and love, and one of the ways to change that is for you to become active ambassadors of mathematics, at least within your circles,” she said.
She added that for the Philippines to catch up to developed countries, its human resources would need improved capability in math and sciences.
“The emergence of the concepts, such as big data and the Internet of Things; the increased importance of algorithms, intelligent and smart systems in businesses; and the inevitability of stronger and innovative designs and infrastructure in all the global industries of today, makes mathematics even more important,” Biyo said.
The winners, together with the 19 other PMO finalists, will undergo training during the summer for the final selection of the members of the national team that will compete in the 58th International Mathematical Olympiad to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 12 to 23. The training will be held in parts from February until July, and shall be organized by MSP and its partners. S&T Media Service
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