For members of the earlier batches of the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild, no type of reunion could have been possibly more appropriate than a kind of event that they’ve been so used to be part of for most of their life – a math contest.

Last February 12, members of the first four batches that were products of the MTG Mathematics Challenge for Filipino Kids Training Program, all currently taking their college degrees, participated in the 32nd University of the Philippines Annual Nationwide Search for the Math Wizard. The elimination round was held at the UP Mathematics Building while the succeeding rounds were held at the UP Malcolm Hall Auditorium.

There were twelve MTG alumni in all, among the 308 college students of all levels who have come to participate in this event. Of the twelve, ten made it as far as the quarterfinals. Then, four went on to qualify to the semifinals. Finally, two eventually qualified to the final four round, where one finished second while the other finished fourth.

Donelle Gan, a 3rd year Manufacturing Engineering and Management student from the De La Salle University and a Top 8 finisher last year, improved on his performance and went home with the 2nd place award. Carlo Brian Angelo Nerecena, a 2nd year Management Engineering student from the Ateneo de Manila University, who is also the trainer of the 2004 MTG Delegation to International Mathematics Competitions for elementary and the defending champion going into this competition, finished fourth this time around.

Making it to the round-of-eight semifinals were Hendrick Franelli Cu (2-BS Physics with Computer Engineering, ADMU) and Robin Lester Lim (3-BS Mathematical Finance, ADMU).

Those who went as far as the round-of-twenty four quarterfinals meanwhile, were Siegfred Alan Baluyot (2-BS Math, ADMU), Ryan Jerome Chua (2-BS ME, ADMU), Malerie Dy (2-BS MaFin, ADMU), Ivan Remington Or (3-BS Computer Science-Computer Engineering, DLSU), Leo Isaiah Sambayan (1-BS Math, UP), and JZ Lyle Dexter Wamar (4-BS Math, ADMU).

Also participating in this contest were Alfonso Luis Maputol (1-BS MaFin, ADMU) and Karlvin Ong (1-BS ME, ADMU).

Nerecena and Wamar were members of the first-ever batch of MTG delegates to international contests that were produced by the MTG-MCFKTP in 1997. Members of the second batch were Baluyot, Gan, Nerecena, and Or; part of the third batch were Baluyot, Chua, Cu, Dy, Maputol, Ong, and Sambayan; and finally, belonging to the fourth batch were Ong and Sambayan.

Gan, Nerecena, and the other winners each received a plaque, some gift items from major sponsor Level-up Games, and cash awards. The prize awards from first to fourth place were P15,000, P10,000, P7,000, and P5,000 respectively.

First place was awarded to Kenneth Talatala form Cavite State University, while third place went to Jireh Espinosa from UP.

Talatala’s victory actually snapped a short-lived two-year run in which the winner of this competition comes from the MTG. Before Nerecena in 2004, Germaine Lisa Ang of the University of Santo Tomas was the Math Wizard of 2003. Ang was a member of the first-ever batch of MTG kids that represented the country in an international competition, whose performance prompted the conception of the MTG-MCFKTP that we know today.

Hopefully, next year would once again see an MTG Kid deemed as the competition's top Math Wizard.