The country is set to compete in the 61st International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) which was originally slated this July in St. Petersburg, Russia amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This year's IMO will be the first-ever held online.
The Mathematical Society of the Philippines (MSP) has revealed the roster of the national team.
In the team are Immanuel Josiah Balete from St. Stephen's High School; Sarji Elijah Bona from De La Salle University Integrated School Manila/Palawan Hope Christian School; Raphael Dylan Dalida from Philippine Science High School Main Campus; Vincent dela Cruz from Valenzuela School of Mathematics and Science; Andres Rico Gonzales III from De La Salle University Integrated School Manila; and Bryce Ainsley Sanchez from Grace Christian College.
The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DoST-SEI) said that the IMO will be held worldwide from Sept. 19 to 28.
Team Leader Christian Paul Chan Shio from Ateneo de Manila University and Deputy Team Leader Carlo Francisco Adajar from the University of the Philippines Diliman will mentor the national bets.
The national team members were determined at the end of the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Camp (MOSC), which was also held online in the past months. The MOSC is a rigorous training program that serves as a selection phase among the national finalists and winners of the Philippine Mathematical Olympiad (PMO).
In January, Sanchez, Balete, and Dalida emerged on top of the PMO as champion, first runnerup, and second runnerup, respectively. They were then joined by fellow math veterans, Gonzales, Dela Cruz, and Bona.
All six emerged victorious in the first-ever Cyberspace Mathematical Competition (CMC) held online last July 13 and 14. Organized by the American Mathematics Competitions in partnership with Art of Problem Solving, the CMC also served as preparatory test for the team. Dalida, Dela Cruz, Gonzales, and Sanchez nabbed bronze medals while Balete received an honorable mention.
Sanchez, Balete, and Gonzales each won bronze medals in last year’s IMO where the Philippines ranked 31st out of 112 countries. They now look to lead the team to an improved showing this year.
DoST-SEI Director Dr. Josette Biyo congratulated the team and the MSP for “soldiering on” amid the challenges posed by the pandemic.
“We congratulate our national team for the 61st IMO. Although we’re living in very challenging times, your constant pursuit of excellence inspires us to do the same. We wish you all the best in the coming competition,” said Biyo.
The country's participation in the IMO is a project of MSP and DoST-SEI, with support from major sponsors Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) Foundation, Manulife Business Processing Services, Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education, Inc. (FUSE), Sharp Philippines Corp., and C&E Publishing.