Pinay WCOPA multimedalist

Pinay singer wins 9 medals in WCOPA, receives recognition from hometown

GMA News

August 5, 2019 

A Filipino talent bagged nine medals at the 23rd World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) held in California, USA and received recognition from her hometown on Monday.

Joanna Ruth Miranda, won a gold medal in vocal with self-accompaniment category, three silver medals in open category and variety, and five bronze medals in vocal Broadway, R and B, and rock music.

The 23rd WCOPA competition was held at Long Beach California, USA from July 12 to 21.

After her win, the local government of Quezon City staged a ceremony to recognize Miranda. The event was led by Vice Mayor Gian Sotto with some city councilors.

WCOPA competition is an ‘Olympic-style’ international meet for aspiring performers and entertainers from different parts of the world who will compete against each other in the “Talent Olympics.”

The talent contest brings together the best singers, dancers, actors, models, instrumentalists and variety artists from more than 60 countries. —Joviland Rita/LDF, GMA News

Math Wizzards in Hong Kong

Filipino elementary students bag 11 awards in world math contest 

Philippine Star

21 July 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Eight Filipino elementary students recently brought pride to the country as they reaped 11 awards in an international math competition in Hong Kong.

Filipino students and their coaches at the awarding ceremony of the 22nd Po Leung Kuk Primary Mathematics World Contest in Hong Kong. Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines/Released

The Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines said the eight Grade 5 students represented the Philippines and competed against 144 other students at the 22nd Po Leung Kuk Primary Mathematics World Contest held from July 15 to 19 in Hong Kong.

They won two silver and four bronze medals in the individual contest while four silver medals and a trophy were earned by the delegation in the team category.

MTG said the winning silver medals in the individual contest are Jerome Austin Te of Jubilee Christian Academy and Michael Gerard Tongson of Stonyhurst Southville International School-Malarayat.

On the other hand, the individual bronze medalists are Kody Briones of Emmanuel Christian School, Iris Lexi Ababon of Colegio San Agustin-Makati, Sophie Jill Co of Pace Academy and Sean Jang of Elizabeth Seton School-South.

Ian Gabriel Hong of Pace Academy, Tongson, Te and Briones meanwhile snagged the first-runner up trophy for the team contest. The Philippine Team A were awarded silver medals and a trophy. 

MTG president Isidro Aguilar said they were very proud of the young students.

“We congratulate our Filipino contestants for winning awards in the contest,” Aguilar said.

Aside from the Philippines, students from countries such as the US, Australia, South Korea, China, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore and Vietnam also joined the math contest. — Rosette Adel 

Pacquiao wins over Thurman

Pacquiao’s win is a victory of Philippines — Palace

Faye Orellana

Philippine Daily Inquirer

21 July 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao’s victory is a victory of all, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Sunday.

Manny Pacquiao reacts after defeating Keith Thurman by split decision in a welterweight title fight Saturday, July 20, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Panelo extended the congratulations of the Palace after the victory of the boxer-senator over opponent Keith Thurman was announced at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

“Pacquiao’s victory is not only his, but of the entire nation. As such, the Palace is one in rejoicing with the Filipino people as the Pambansang Kamao once again puts the flag above the pedestal with his display of tenacity and courage,” Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo also said that despite the age gap between Pacquiao and Thurman, the Filipino boxing champ showed no signs of being intimidated by his younger opponent during the fight.

“Although his opponent, Thurman, is way younger than him, our pound-for-pound King did not show any signs of intimidation as he embodied what a FIlipino spirit is all about – a fighter,” he said.

“We thank Senator Manny for not only bringing honor and glory to our flag, but for once again uniting all Filipinos worldwide with his display of athleticism, power and Filipino pride. Mabuhay ka, Manny! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!” he added.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also thanked the People’s Champ for bringing pride to the country once more while proving that life should be a balance of work and faith.

“You have proven time and again that hard work and faith are the one-two punch to winning in life, inside and outside the boxing ring,” he said.

Nograles then wished Pacquiao to continue inspiring the public with his achievements and serve as a role model to his countrymen.

Pacquiao won the fight against Thurman via a split decision.

Two judges scored the fight 115-112 for Pacquiao, while Glenn Feldman scored it 114-113 in favor of Thurman. /je

PHL Robotics in Australia

PHL robotics team bags silver in Australia



Business Mirror
14 July 2019

The Philippine Robotics National Team claimed victory for the Philippines at the FIRST Lego League (FLL) Asia Pacific Open Championship in Sydney, Australia, from July 4 to 7.

The Philippine Robotics National Team takes the world stage again with their victories in the FLL in Houston and FLL in Turkey. The team (represented this time by Grace Christian College) poses with Mylene Abiva (left) of Felta Multi-Media at the FLL Asia Pacific Open Championship 2019 in Sydney, Australia, from July 4 to 7.

The national team, represented this time by Grace Christian College’s gaged 43 teams (over 400 students) from 21 countries.

Gracean Whiz is composed of students Alexis Diane Ngo, Heart Bernice Tan, Gen Bernardine Dy, Denzell Robyn Dy, Ethan Russell Uy, Zoe Angeli Uy, Arabelle Galupe, Ziyang Zhang, Kylie Danielle Sy, and Christian So with coaches Arlyn Jordan and Warren John Ong Pe.

Gracious Professionalism originated in For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), the ethos of encouraging high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and community. With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate, thereby improving both competitors.

Grace Christian College also ranked Top 7 in the Robot Game and received high accolade for their project, the Infinity Board, an innovative solution that brings recreational activities in space to a whole new level by introducing a portable tabletop board game system that incorporates augmented reality and classical board games with microgravity to its advantage.

This project aims to eliminate the monotony of astronaut’s routines during their free time. The theme of First Lego League is “Into Orbit.”

Livingstone International School from Angeles City in Pampanga also represented the Philippine Robotics National Team and received Top 3 in Teamwork-Core Values for their Project Spirulina, which focuses on the cultivation of Spirulina, a bioluminescent bacteria and Kilo power for the production of energy in space.

Dr. Josette Biyo, director of the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), congratulated the participants and thanked the national organizer, Felta Multi-Media, for another hard-earned and deserving victory in international robotics arena.

“These are truly impressive wins and indicative of Filipinos’ growing interest and talent in robotics. But more than that, we thank the team for exemplifying the values we hope all our young scientists would possess,” Biyo said.

The silver award won by Grace Christian College in Sydney marked the end of the FLL Season 2019.

Other awards won by the Philippines were the Championship Award (Finalist) by Dr. Yanga’s Colleges Inc. at FLL World Championship 2019 Houston, Texas, USA, (April 2019) and Gold Award-Project Presentation by Dr. Yanga’s Colleges Inc. at FLL European Open Invitational Turkey 2019, Izmir, Turkey, (May 2019).

Math Wizzards in Bulgaria

Filipino students dominate Mathematics Without Borders tournament in Bulgaria



Merlina Hernando-Malipot 
Manila Bulletin
04 July 2019


A team composed of Filipino learners dominated an international Math tournament held in Bulgaria participated by over 1,000 students from 14 countries including the Philippines.

(AMSLI Philippines)

The Asian MathSci League, Inc. (AMSLI), in a statement, announced that “it was such a remarkable finish” for the eight Pinoy wiz-kids who traveled thousands of miles from Manila to be able to join the Mathematics Without Borders (MWB) Tournament Finals held at Nessebar, Bulgaria from June 28 to July 1, 2019.

The team dominated the awards in the final event of the tournament participated by 1,192 students from Azerbaijan , Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan , Kazakhstan , Iran, Malta, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and the Philippines. The delegation was led by DOST-SEI Deputy Director Engr. Albert Mariño and the officials of the AMSLI, Rechilda Villame and Dennis Dimaala.

The awards garnered by the Philippine Team dubbed as “Magic 8” are as follows: Zion Skye Earl Carmelo Uy, Ateneo de Manila Grade School (Age Group 2) – Gold Medal (Individual Contest), Gold Medal (Team Contest) and MWB Silver Cup; Rohan Gerald Herrera, Ateneo de Manila Grade School (Age Group 2) – Gold Medal (Individual Contest), Gold Medal (Team Contest), and MWB Bronze Cup; Harry Gerald Perez, De La Salle Lipa Integrated School (Age Group 2) – Gold Medal (Team Contest), Bronze Medal (Individual Contest), and MWB Bronze Cup; Renzterton Sibal, Lourdes School of Mandaluyong (Age Group 5) – Gold Medal (Individual Contest), Silver Medal (Team Contest), and MWB Gold Cup; Christian Gendrano, De La Salle Zobel School (Age Group 6) – Absolute Winner of the Tournament, Math Star of the Tournament, Gold Medal (Individual Contest), Bronze Medal (Team Contest), and MWB Gold Cup; Mi Jung Pak, Philippine Science High School (Age Group 7) – Gold Medal (Team Contest), Bronzed Medal (Individual Contest), and MWB Gold Cup; Beatriz Lucia Rodriguez, Southville International School and Colleges (Age Group 7) – Gold Medal (Team Contest), Silver Medal (Individual Contest), and MWB Silver Cup; and John Henry Marquez, Philippine Science High School (Age Group 9) – Gold Medal (Individual Contest), Gold Medal (Team Contest), and MWB Gold Cup.

In the Individual and Team Awards, AMSLI explained that the top 20% of the total number of the finalists from each age group receive gold, silver and bronze medals. “The ranking is carried out according to the number of solved problems or points earned,” AMSLI said. “In the case of an equal number of solved problems, the higher ranked participant/team is the one that has spent less time solving the problems,” it added.

Meanwhile, AMSLI explained that the ranking for the MWB Cups is “determined based on the sum of the two best results of the three remote rounds (Autumn,Winter and Spring Rounds) and the doubled result of the final competition.” Given this, the “three most successful students from each age group and country are included in the ranking for the Tournament Cups”

“The participants who hold first place in each age group receives the Mathematics without Borders Golden Cup, those who hold second place receives the Mathematics without Borders Silver Cup and those who hold third place receives the Mathematics without Borders Bronze Cup,” AMSLI said.

The “Math Star of the Tournament,” on the other hand, is among the “special prizes and the title Math Star of the Tournament is received by each country’s most successful contestant.” The “Absolute Winner of the Tournament” is given by the Mayor of Nessebar who is also a patron of the tournament. The award is given to the “most successful contestant and the teacher with the biggest contribution to the tournament.”

AMSLI identifies itself a non-stock non-profit organization of “math and science enthusiasts” registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since April, 2017. Among the objectives of AMSLI is to “establish a world class academic organization aimed to develop and improve mathematics and science skills of Filipino teachers and students through mentoring, scholarships and various activities connected” and “inculcate, promote, foster and develop interest and awareness among the Filipino teachers and students about international math and science activities such as competitions, educational programs, enrichment workshops, conferences, courses and training programs, exhibits and seminars and other related events.”

The organization also aims to “promote math and science competitions here in the Philippines and/or outside the country and develop and educate an understanding of global competitiveness”; to “recognize and award outstanding students in mathematics and/or science”; and to “promote and encourage organized research and to disseminate the useful results of such research.”

Given the remarkable feat of the Filipino learners in the recent MWB tournament, Villame – who also serves as the AMSLI President and Philippine Team Leader – received the Mayor of Nessebar’s Teacher Award. Meanwhile, Dimaala – who served as Deputy Team Leader – received the MWB Organization’s Teacher Award.

PH wins Goldin Robotics

Philippines wins gold medal at European robotics contest

By Dhel Nazario| Manila Bulletin

06 June 2019

A bright future awaits the field of Philippine robotics.

Last month, the Philippine Robotics National Team won the gold medal at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Lego League (FLL) European Open International Turkey 2019 in Izmir, Turkey.

(PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-SCIENCE EDUCATION INSTITUTE / MANILA BULLETIN)

The team was fresh from a double victory at the FLL World Championship held in USA last April.

The national delegation, represented by Kid Imagineers from Dr. Yanga’s College, Inc., came home victorious after winning a Gold Award for Project Presentation and finalist on Project Research. Eighty-two teams from 41 countries and over 600 students (ages 11-17 years old) participated in the competition.

The theme, “Into Orbit”, challenged students to find solutions to physical and social problems associated with long-duration space flight.

The team won for Project Mu.S.C.A., an innovative, effective, and systemized way of helping astronauts solve musculoskeletal problems they face during their stay in orbit. The suit gives a solution to various physical problems such as bone loss and loss of muscle mass in microgravity environment of space.

Project Mu.S.C.A is a self-adjusting suit that can monitor the astronauts’ pulse rate, exercise their legs and arms, help them maintain proper posture in space, massage their arms and legs, help attain the right temperature for their body and protect astronauts from radiation.

The Kid Imagineers from Dr. Yanga’s College, Inc. is composed of team members Gwyneth Sabusap, Aaron James Amar, Andrea Luz Guevarra, Daniella De Guzman, Annette Nicole Ambi, Nicole Flores, Shervie Dela Cruz, Gabriel Ortega, Michael Ronnie Estrella, Renz Daren Flaviano, Assistant Coach RV Mendoza, and Coach Romyr Gimeno.

Mylene Abiva, FELTA Multi-Media, Inc. president/CEO, led the delegation and was selected as one of the judges during the event. Among the 41 judges, she was the only judge to represent Southeast Asia.

“Human space exploration helps address fundamental questions about our place in the universe. Space exploration drives us to explore the unknown, discover new worlds and push the boundaries of our scientific limits. Hopefully, with the victory of the Philippine Robotics National Team, the Philippine government will initiate a Space Education Program for the Filipino Youth,” Abiva said.

The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), through its director, Dr. Josette Biyo, congratulated the team and thanked the national organizers for their efforts in helping young Filipinos’ maximize their potential in robotics.

“The Philippine Robotics National Team made the country proud and opened doors for future robotics experts. Robotics will play a crucial role in the country’s transition to Industrial Revolution 4.0. These victories will help us gain traction to push for more youth science programs that would prepare the youth for jobs of the future,” Dr. Biyo said.