The Inquirer.net headline is screaming: Filipino wizards rule int’l math competition 

The Iloilo’s hosting of the Philippine International Mathematics Competition (PIMC) was not only a great  suceess but also resulted for another victory for the country as our young Filipino math wizards topped the 20-nation 2009 Philippine International Mathematics Competitions (PIMC).

With a 100-medal haul, the Philippines landed as champion and second runner up on overall ranking for Philippines Team D and Team B, respectively.

For complete result on all categories visit the PIMC blogsite, pimc.wordpress.com.

The top three teams:

and the rest of the top 10:

sources: newsinfo.inquirer.net and pimc.wordpress.com

…dead bodies lie on the ground near their vehicles at the crime scene of a massacre of a political clan that included several journalists in the outskirts of Ampatuan, Maguindanao in southern Philippines November 24, 2009…

This blogsite had never been intended to be political, but this is far more than just political or greed or hunger for power. This is murder!

The people behind Iloilo Hangout joins everyone who seek justice for all the victims of atrocities in the Philippines, for their loved ones and for their friends!

May God Bless Us All! May God Bless Our Country!

Jian's I.S.A. Recognition Day

Grade-3 Most Outstanding & Special Award in Math, March 2009

Jian Kyle Tiampong, Kathleen Therese Tilos, Luke  Kenneth Gurrea, Nicole Cassey Lao, Paul Bryan Buni, Kevinn Friedrich Chan, Jan Jemi Gerwayne Tiu, Krisha Wee, and Karl Francis Chan.

Nine amazing kids that made Ilonggos very proud of them in the Australian Mathematics Competition. They are part of the fifty-six other students also won top honors in the AMC, held simultaneously last August in Australia and 35-plus other countries worldwide, including the Philippines

Over 2,000 Filipino elementary and high school students took part in the AMC, administered by AMT representatives, Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines (MTG) and the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology:

Jian Kyle Tiampong - Distinction Awardee

Distinction Awards are given to students with percentile ranking between the 85 and 98 percentile

Kathleen Therese Tilos – Credit Awardee

Luke  Kenneth Gurrea – Credit Awardee

Nicole Cassey Lao – Credit Awardee

Paul Bryan Buni – Credit Awardee

Kevinn Friedrich Chan – Credit Awardee

Jan Jemi Gerwayne Tiu – Credit Awardee

Krisha Wee – Credit Awardee

Karl Francis Chan – Credit Awardee

Credit Awards are given to students with percentile ranking between the 50 and 85 percentile.

The Australian Mathematics Competition:

The first AMC was held in 1976, was open to students within the Australian Capital Territory, and attracted 1200 entries.

The, in 2004, the competition was expanded to allow two more divisions, one for year five and six students, and another for year three and four students. And in 2005, students from 38 different countries entered the competition.

The AMC test paper consists questions on topics that include arithmetic, number theory, combinatorics, geometry, measurement, algebra and probability and thank goodness, no calculus! Students have 75 minutes to read and answer 30 questions, which are ordered in increasing difficulty.  Of the 30 questions, 25 in multiple-choice  and 5 questions with an integer answer between 0-999. 

Some of the AMC winners will also represent the country in the Philippine International Math Competitions which is scheduled from 28th November to 2nd December 2009 in Iloilo City.

So, Congratulations kids! We are very proud of you!!

Lastly, I know there are different levels in the competition, but just for fun, I grabbed one problem from a student preparing for the test. He posted it  in a blogsite, physicsforums.com, soliciting some answers. You can try your math talent on the question below:

Four singers take part in a musical round of 4 equal lines, each finishing after singing the line through three times.

The second singer begins when the first singer begins the second line, the third singer begins when the first singer begins the third line, the fourth singer begins when the first singer begins the fourth line. The fraction of the total singing time that all four are singing at the same time is:

A. 3/4
B. 3/5
C. 2/3
D. 5/6
E. 8/15

Check all the answers here

Sources: facebook.com, carillon.up.edu.ph, en.wikipedia.org

The Philippines has a PR problem. While it harbors as many islands as the Caribbean and some of the most spectacular reefs on the planet, the nation sees only a fraction of the visitors of nearby Thailand. Even travel companies, it seems, have bought the bad rap: Other than the occasional sea kayaking trip, U.S. guides have largely avoided the archipelago.

But Wilderness Travel has finally gotten wise. This May (2010) the outfit will lead clients high into the 4,000-foot Cordillera Central, then deep into the world’s most biodiverse marine environment. The trip begins in Banaue, where travelers spend days hiking into terraced mountains and nights back at the town’s namesake hotel (pine cabins, private balconies, killer views). Then it’s down to the island of Cabilao, trading butterflies for fish species of them.

For the next five days, you’ll bob around reefs, scanning the area’s 350 varieties of coral (including table coral that’s a whopping nine feet wide). But don’t forget: The best snorkeling starts at dusk. “It’s like being in a train station during commuting hours,” says Barbara Banks, Wilderness Travel’s director of new trip development. “The day fish are moving out and the night creatures like octopuses and eels are moving in.”

Outfitter:Wilderness Travel; wildernesstravel.com
Price: $3,300 ($$)
Length: 12 days
Departs: May

The Wilderness Travel chose a great itinerary. But we know Philippines has a lot more to offer. The Iloilo province alone lists 64 festivals a year, an average of more than 5 festivals a month.

The PR problem, however, is not because of the lack of information about Philippines but because of the “bad” publicity about it. When I searched some trusted travel websites (like the National Geographic, etc.) about Philippines, I found articles like corruption, flood and dengue fever, and especially kidnapping, affecting the image of the Philippines abroad and scaring foreign visitors away.

On the other hand, tourism in the Philippines is not totally dependent on foriegn tourists. Despite the influx recently of Korean and Japanese tourists, local and balikbayan travelers make a significant contribution into the tourism industry. Thus the DOT’s video clip ‘Biyahe Tayo’ and a slogan years ago ‘H’wag  maging dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan” targeting local tourists.

For Filipinos, it is a matter of promoting this local travel especially with their balikbayan relatives. Staying in your hometown is okay but moving around and visiting other places is better. Witness the different town fiestas and the colorful festivals; visit historic places, churches, fortresses; and do nature adventure activities, etc.. If you don’t have any family or friends to visit, dont worry, most of the celebration starts with a food festival. It is cheaper than traveling abroad like Singapore or Hong Kong, it’s few hours away, it doesn’t have a security issues of national or international interest (like kidnapping of foreigners) and it helps a lot the local tourism industry. But nevertheless, being included in the National Geographic’s “25 Best New Trips for 2010″ is a big boast in Philippine’s image as a foreign tourist destination.

source: nationalgeographic.com