The lone delegate from Iloilo to the 12th Asian Science and Mathematics Olympiad for Primary and Secondary Schools (ASMOPSS 12) held in Bali, Indonesia brought honor not only to his school but to the country as well for bringing home two medals.

“It feels great to bring honor to the Philippines. I feel honored,” said Gihun Ng Yoo, a Grade 8 learner at St. Joseph School of Iloilo and a member of the Asian MathSci League Inc. (AMSLI), a non-stock non-profit organization of math and science enthusiasts.

He was part of the 14-man Philippine team consisting of two students for Primary Science, four for Secondary Science, six for Primary Math, and two for Secondary Math for the competition hosted by the Bangli Regency Education, Youth and Sports Office in collaboration with Surya Institute and Yayasan Teknologi Indonesia Jaya from Nov. 23 to 27, 2022.

Yoo competed in Primary Math where he won a bronze medal for the Theoretical Round (Individual Event) and second runner-up for the Exploration Round (Team Event).

Before becoming part of the Philippine Team, he needed to hurdle two online qualifying rounds.

He said that his interest in Mathematics started when he was picked to join a competition back in Grade 4.

Like any ordinary kid, he also loves to play computer games such as Roblox, Mobile Legend, among others.

His mother, Dr. Pamela Ng Yoo, said she is proud that his son has excelled in math and has brought honor to the country.

“Most probably it’s a gift because none of us in the family is really that good in Math,” she said.

Irish Mae Palomo, Gihun’s coach and a math teacher at the St. Joseph School of Iloilo, said being good in Math can already be a life skill because it is present everywhere. (PNA)