PASIG CITY, August 3, 2017 – A special education (SPED) learner from Tuguegarao West Central School in Cagayan Valley once more placed the Philippines in the map of mathematical excellence as he brought home three golds and one silver from the China Primary Math Olympiad held last July 26-27 in Zhejiang, China.
Miguel Isidro Cayetano is no rookie in bagging medals for the country in international Math contests. The Grade 5 fast-learner/gifted and talented (FL/GT) student secured gold in the International Mathematics Competition in 2016 and silver in the Singapore International Mathematics Olympiad Challenge (SIMOC) in 2015.
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones expressed immense pride in Cayetano’s triumph, “One of my dreams for the Filipino youth is that one day, they are able to conquer the world as the next Stephen Hawking, as the next brilliant mind whose critical thinking enables them to navigate the exciting world of knowledge and apply their learning in contributing to nation building. Miguel is truly one of the young achievers heeding that call, and we hope that the country will be able to produce more of them.”
Cayetano, who consistently tops the class since he was in Grade 1, was one of the awardees during the 42nd Founding Anniversary of DepEd Region 2. According to his Math teacher, the young Math wizard remains a humble and diligent student despite being a constant pride of his parents and fellow Cagayanos.
Likewise, 79 young Filipino achievers in Math displayed exceptional wit during the recent SIMOC held at the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS) from July 14-17, and the World Math Invitational (WMI) held in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam from July 14-18.
In this year’s SIMOC, 39 Grades 2 to 10 learners from the Philippines battled it out against 1,200 students from 20 Asian countries. Three learners went home as grand champions in their respective levels, while 12 reaped gold, 10 bagged silver, 11 earned bronze, and six received merit awards in the written individual contest. The Philippine delegation as well secured one gold, two silver and two bronze in the Math warriors team contest, and one bronze in the mind sports challenge.
According to Rechilda Villame, president of the Asian MathSci League, Inc. (AMSLI) that made the Philippine Team’s participation in Singapore possible, SIMOC is considered an esteemed competition because of Singapore’s reputation for mathematical excellence, and the young Filipinos’ outstanding showcase of intellect in the country is a telling achievement.
Another Philippine delegation made waves in WMI, wherein over a thousand students from Bulgaria, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Vietnam vied for top awards. WMI is the first international competition founded by Taiwan, and has been held in Korea, Taiwan, China, and Malaysia. The team comprised of students from different schools brought home three trophies for overall champions, nine gold, 19 silver, nine bronze, and three merit awards.
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