ILOILO CITY (PNA) – Nine Iloilo City math wizards have been chosen to represent the country in the Philippine International Mathematics Competition 2009 slated November 28 to December 2 here in this city.

Dr. Simon Chua, President of the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild (MTG) Philippines, said the country will be sending 20 teams to the competition, 10 teams to compete in the Philippine Elementary Mathematics Olympiad Competitions (PEMIC), and 10 in the Asia Inter-Cities Teenagers Mathematics Olympiad (AITMO).

“This is the first time that we’re letting Grade IV students participate in this contest,” Chua said, as he disclosed that 10 of the 80 participants are still in the fourth grade.

Jonathan C. Glorial, MTG Iloilo coordinator, said the participants from Iloilo re also part of the Philippine delegation to the recent 8th China Primary Mathematical Olympiad in Tianjin, China and 5th International Math Competition in Singapore.

The participants from Iloilo included RJ Lawrence Tiu and Hubert Hao for the AITMO while Bianca Patrice Syching, Paulo Adrian Tanena, Niel Phillip Poral, Josh Thomas Clement, Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa, Ramon Galvan and Leo Emmanuel Som will compete for the PEMIC.

The participants were chosen from among thousands of mathematics geniuses who underwent rigid MTG screening and training.

As of Wednesday, the number of participating countries in the contest has already increased to 32 from the 23 countries earlier reported.

Meantime, 140 countries, 68 high school and 72 elementary schools are joining the Philippine National Mathematics Competition (PNMC), a parallel competition to be participated in by schools from all over the country.

The participants will be answering similar questions that will be asked in the PIMC to give them a feel of an international competition.

The PIMC will be held at the Iloilo Grand Hotel while the PNMC contest will be held at the Punta Villa Resort at Arevalo district.