MANILA - Filipino high school students bagged 27 medals in the 10th Invitational World Youth Mathematics Inter-cities Competition (IWYMIC) held in Durban, South Africa from July 5 to 10. 

The students who bagged individual bronze medals are Geraldine Baniqued  (St. Paul College-Pasig), John Russell Virata (Gideon Academy), Zheng Rong Wu (Zamboanga Chong Hua High School), Matthew Chris Chan (St. Stephen's High School), Vance Eldric Go (St. Jude Catholic School-Manila), and Elvis Jeremy Ayroso (Philippine Science High School-Main Campus). The success of the Filipino students were reported by Mathematics Trainers Guild (MTG) - Philippines

Filipino students show their medals after the awarding ceremonies at the Durban City Hall in South Africa. (Seated from left) John Russell Virata, Geraldine Baniqued, Arielle Elise Chua, Sarah Jane Cua, and Zheng Rong Wu. (Standing from left to right) Matthew Chris Chan, Adrian Raphael Co, Ostin John Ong, Vance Eldric Go, Janssen Kotah, Hanz Vladimir Cabanes, , Paolo Manuel Iyulores and Elvis Ayroso. (ABS-CBN/Photo courtesy of the Mathematics Trainers' Guild)

Four students who got individual merit awards are Adrian Raphael Co (Xavier School), Ostin John Ong (Bacolod Trinity Christian School), Arielle Elise Chua (St. Jude Catholic School), and Paolo Manuel Iyulores (Ateneo de Manila High School).

In the group contest, the three Philippine teams were awarded bronze medals each.

In the team contest, the Philippine Team A composed of Banigued, Chua,  Virata and  Wu was awarded first runner-up while Philippine Team B whose members were Chan, Co, Go, and Ong  got second runner-up.

Philippine Team C composed of Ayroso, Iyulores, Janssen Kotah (Philippine Cultural College) and Hanz Vladimir Cabanes (Zamboanga Chong Hua High School) meanwhile received Merit Award.

Also, Sarah Jane Cua of the Pangasinan Universal Institute won a bronze medal in the individual contest and second runner-up in the team contest as a borrowed member of the International Girls’ Team.

The students and their coaches arrived in Manila Saturday. This is reportedly the first time in the country's participation in the contest that all Filipino contestants won a medal each.

“The training of these students paid off.  Accomplishment is easy when we work the hardest,” said Dr. Simon Chua, head of the Philippine delegation and president of the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild (MTG), which trained the contestants for the competition.

Besides Dr. Chua, the other leaders of the group were Dr. Eduardo Dela Cruz, dean of the School of Education and Normal of Arellano University; Dr. Isidro Aguilar, supervisor of the Division of City Schools of Taguig and Pateros; and Sheryl Lejos from the Science Education Institute (SEI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

About 228 high school students from 19 countries joined the contest including Canada, China, Australia, Bulgaria, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and the Philippines.

Another batch of Filipino students will compete in several math contests in China and Singapore in August.