At a flag-raising ceremony this week, local officials honored five students from Palawan National School whose performances at the Hong Kong International Mathematical Olympiad placed the city, and the Philippines, on the global stage.
From August 22 to 25, the students joined more than 3,000 participants from 19 countries at Hong Kong Science Park, competing in the final round of the international event. Their medals and prizes, announced at the New Green City Hall on September 15, mark one of Puerto Princesa’s strongest showings in an academic competition abroad.
The standout was Grade 10 student Gerome Benedict A. Macaraeg, who not only took home a gold medal but also finished fourth overall in the Secondary 3 Category. Macaraeg won two special distinctions: the Boole Prize for Logical Thinking and the Euclid Prize for Geometry.
Two of his schoolmates brought home bronze medals: Karl Ryan A. Llaneta, a Grade 8 student competing in the Secondary 1 Category, and Ashantia Catrice S. Madarcos, Grade 9, in the Secondary 2 Category. Their peers, Julian S. Marzo and Maven Bhryle F. Tomesa, both in Grade 9, were recognized with Merit Awards in the Secondary 2 Category.
Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron praised the group during the ceremony, calling their achievement a source of pride well beyond the city.
“Hindi lang tayo pang turismo, pang-mathematics pa,” he said. The mayor described the results as proof that the talent of Puerto Princesa youth can compete “in the global academic arena.”
The Olympiad medals represent how local schools, despite being far from the country’s traditional academic hubs, are cultivating students with international-caliber skills.
