MANILA, Philippines - A Philippine Science High School (PSHS) senior and a Grade 6 pupil from St. Stephen’s College in Manila won top prizes in the 2010 Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge over the weekend.

Immanuel Encarnacion, 4th year student at PSHS, won 1st place in the 4th year individual competition, while John Thomas Chuatak of St. Stephen’s won 1st place in the Grade 6 individual competition of the math contest.

Both won a cash prize of P20,000 and trophies.

Two-member teams from two Filipino-Chinese schools – St. Jude Catholic School-Manila and the Chiang Kai Shek College (CKSC) – also took first place in the team Grade 6 and 4th Year competitions.

Ma. Czarina Angela Lao and Austin Edrich Chua of St. Jude won P40,000 cash prize and trophy for their school for placing first in the Grade 6 competitions, while Aldric Cristoval Reyes and Aibeemae Cua of CKSC won P40,000 cash prize and trophy for winning 1st place in the 4th year competitions.

Aniceto Sobrepeña, Metrobank Foundation president, said the foundation, chaired by Metrobank founder and chairman George S.K. Ty, was delighted over the results of the 2010 math challenge, noting the competition has again attracted the participation of the country’s brightest young students who have an interest and love for mathematics.

This year’s competition drew more than half a million contestants.

“Each year, we look forward to this momentous event with great awe and excitement as we witness the minds of our country’s young geniuses at work. And year after year, it has never failed to inspire and delight us to discover a new batch of mathematical excellence among our youth,” Sobrepeña said.

He said the yearly satisfactory results of the math challenge were seen as an accomplishment of their aim in sponsoring the contest “to equip our youth with the cornerstones of learning by honing their mathematical competencies and promote a positive attitude towards the subject.”

Other winners were Zheng Rong Wu of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School who won 2nd place in the 4th Year individual competition and Sed Anderson Holaysan who landed 3rd.

In the Grade 6 individual competition, the second place winner was Prince Michael Balanay of Colegio San Agustin-Biñan and Austin Chua who placed 3rd.

In the team competition, the Gideon Academy team, composed of John Russel Virata and Seung Beom Lee won 2nd place, while the team of Christian Lloyd Tan and Bernadine Culaban from the San Pablo City Science High School was 3rd place, for the 4th year class.

Winning second place in the team Grade 6 competitions were Chuatak and Benedict Ryan Tiu of St. Stephen’s College, while Danielle Ann Ranido and Paul Carlo Diamon Salise of City Central School of Cagayan de Oro City won 3rd.