MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So ended his roller-coaster ride in the Corus Chess 2009 emerging on top of Group C at the of the 13-round tournament at the the De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands.

A final-round draw against second seed David Howell of England on Monday gave So 9.5 points, a full-point ahead of Sweden’s Tiger Hillarp Persson and Anish Giri of Russia.

An eighth-round loss to GM Frank Holzke of Germany nearly cost So the title but put up a solid game by stringing up four straight wins before halving the point with Howell.

The 15-year-old pride of Cavite, who is also the defending Dubai Open champion, was already the virtual champion after defeating erstwhile leader GM Tiger Hillarp Persson of Sweden in the 12th and penultimate round.

Hillarp eventually finished tied for second spot with GM-elect Giri.

Overall, So finished with seven wins, five draws and a defeat in the annual tournament.

“Masayang-masaya po ako sa panalo kong ito ngayong bagong taon,” said So, who also thanked his parents William and Leny for their continued support.

So opened the tournament with a win over GM Friso Nijober of the Netherlands then drew with No.7 GM Oleg Romanishin of Ukraine, No.11 FM Anish Giri of Russia and No.4 GM Abhijeet Gupta of India in the second, third and fourth rounds.

He scored consecutive wins in the fifth and sixth rounds beating No.8 GM Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela and No.6 GM Manuel Leon Hoyos of Mexico, respectively.

So then drew with WGM Dronavaili Harika of India in the seventh round with his lone loss coming from Holzke in the eighth. He closed out the tournament with four straight wins before halving the point with Howell in the last round.

In Group A, GM Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine bagged the top honor while Italian-American GM Fabiano Caruana pocketed the Group B crown. GMANews.tv

MANILA, Philippines – Luisa Kristabel “Abbey” Manliclic won’t watch the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on television. Unlike most of her peers, she has the rare chance to see the swearing-in of the first Black-American president right in the US capital.

Abbey, a Filipino exchange student in Arizona, is one of the lucky Filipinos invited to Washington when Obama takes his oath from Chief Justice John Roberts on the steps of the Capitol on January 20.

“I feel great, it’s like a chance of a lifetime,” Abbey said in an interview with GMANews.TV. “He’s the first Black-American president so the event would be nothing short of great.”

The 17-year-old Youth for Understanding scholar was chosen for being an exemplary student at the Mohave High School in Bullhead city in Arizona. Abbey’s father, Abel, a Manila-based businessman, said he feels proud of her daughter’s accomplishments.

But like any excited parent, Abel gave a few instructions to his daughter before she meets with the president.

“I told her it might be impossible to take a picture with her and Obama, “Abel told GMANews.TV, “So she should take a picture with his wife, Michelle instead.”

But Abbey has a plan of her own. In case she bumps into the president, the straight-A student wants to ask a few questions from the world’s most powerful man.

“I want to ask him how he would deal with the economy and the war,” she said.

Aside from Abbey, two more students from the Philippines have reserved slots for the historic oath-taking in Washington.

College freshmen Paul Michael Thomas Cruz and Anna Marie Liwanag have been invited to the inauguration of America’s 44th president later this month.

The two were selected for the honor by the University Presidential Inaugural Conference (UPIC) for their exemplary performance during the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) in Washington and New York in 2007 while they were still high school seniors at Reedley International School in Manila’s suburb of Pasig.

However, the travel expenses amounting to $4,000 or about P200,000 each will not be paid for by the conference that granted them the invitation.

“Right now I’m raising funds. I’m writing letters to different people and trying to look for sponsors,” said Liwanag. GMANews.tv

MANILA, Philippines—It’s still a long way away from the Philippines’ first Nobel Prize, but for these whiz kids, it may well be a good first baby step.

Six students from Philippine Science High School (PSHS) won six medals at a prestigious science tournament in South Korea early this month, proving that Filipinos can go toe-to-toe with the best in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

The seniors and juniors from the state-run PSHS brought home three silver and three bronze medals from the 5th International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) in Changwon City on Dec. 6-15.

First started in 2004, the Olympiad drew some 250 science wizards aged 15 or younger from more than 40 countries.

“I felt so proud. We never expected to do so well considering that we had less than a month to prepare,” said Benjamin Francis Rodriguez Jr., a junior who had the highest marks among the Philippine delegates.

“It just goes to show that Filipinos can compete with other countries” in the natural sciences, Rodriguez told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Jan Tristram Acuña and William Tan, both seniors, also won silver medals, while the bronze medalists were Guia Publico, Cara Evangelista and Ralph Ugalino.

Acuña said the examination proper had three parts: A 30-item multiple choice, a theoretical exam with three questions, one each for physics, chemistry and biology, and group experiment on each subject.

“Before the exam, we were always in a huddle, reviewing and asking each other questions that may be asked in the exam,” he said.

“On the whole, the Asians, including us, were more reserved and silent. The Europeans were the party people types,” Acuña said.

Cramming sessions

He said the group felt a bit disadvantaged upon learning that some of the other nationals, especially the Taiwanese, spent several months preparing, compared to their own “cramming” sessions.

“We didn’t have much time to prepare for the contest due to school activities and lessons but while we were there we studied every night before the contest proper,” Tan said.

He said winning silver was “quite unexpected.”

Helen Caintic, the PSHS executive director who accompanied the students, said: “This is a proud moment for all Filipinos. Once again, we have shown what Filipinos are made of.”

Acuña said winning a silver medal meant that a competitor fell within the top 20 percent of the contestant pool and a bronze within the top 30 percent. A gold medalist, on the other hand, was among the top 10 percent.

6 points away from gold

Only Korea and Taiwan won gold medals for each of their six delegates, according to a Taiwanese news website. Thailand, like the Philippines, won six medals—two golds and four silvers, a Thai news website reported.

Acuña said the Philippines “almost got a gold,” with Rodriguez and him just six points away from the cutoff. He added that Rodriguez was ahead of him by 0.5 point.

He said the test questions tended to favor the host countries, which typically patterned the exam according to their own curriculums.

“It appeared that the questionnaire, as in previous competitions, was biased in favor of the hosting countries,” Acuña said.

For instance, Indonesia won top honors in the two years it hosted the event, as did Taiwan and Korea.

According to the IJSO website, the Philippines won only two silvers and a bronze in the previous Olympiad.

Rodriguez said this year’s competition made him realize that Filipinos can compete with other nationals in science and mathematics despite the dismal state of education here.

“It can really be done,” said the 15-year-old, who wants to take up medicine at the University of the Philippines when he graduates next year.

Doing well in competitions

Tan said the Philippines had actually been doing well in scholastic competitions.

“Among science high schools, the curriculum in the Philippines is advanced compared to other countries, while among ordinary schools, we are not lagging behind other countries in terms of what they are studying,” he said.

Tan said he drew this conclusion after the competition proper. “The other delegates asked us how we dealt with the exam. Through that we were able to see what they knew and what they didn’t,” he said.

But Acuña thought differently. “With other developing nations, we can compete. But with advanced countries like China, I think we’re one or two years behind.”

Acuña and Tan said they wanted to pursue a degree in physics from the University of the Philippines. Both said they would not mind the less than lucrative jobs that might await them when they finished school.

“Physics is really my passion … In my spare time, I try to solve complicated physics problems,” Acuña said. “My friends find it weird.”

Meager funding

But he said most other Filipino students wanting to specialize in the natural sciences lacked incentive to do so because of little government support and meager funding.

Rodriguez said there were actually many good Filipino scientists, but excellent science research required proper facilities, like laboratories.

Which begged the question: Is a Filipino winning a Nobel Prize for medicine, physics or chemistry an impossible dream at this point?

Acuña replied: “It’s not impossible but it’s going to be very tough … We still have a long way to go before we can catch up with the developed countries.”

Added Tan: “I’m not saying it’s impossible to win a Nobel Prize with the way things are going, but it is going to be difficult.”

But Rodriguez was far more optimistic: “I really think we can make it. All it’s going to take is support from government and a lot of hard work.” Inquirer.net

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines—A hip and energetic rendition of “Lady Marmalade” was what bowled over the judges of the International Choral Festival and Competition held recently in Busan, Korea.

Twenty girls and boys from Cagayan de Oro City’s Capitol University swayed while belting out high notes as the set of foreign judges, all authorities in music, and a largely Korean audience, clapped and rose in standing ovation.

The CU glee club won the gold prize as best in pop in this prestigious competition held yearly by the Korean Choral Institute. It bested 40 other choirs from 12 countries, including the famous choir from the University of Kentucky and the Manado choir from Indonesia.

Conductor Ritchie Asibal, a sleek young man of 30, won as best conductor, the first Filipino ever to get the title.

Two other Filipino entries, the University of the East choral group and the University of the Philippines chorale, won top prizes.

“We were diminutive compared to the other singers. One of the judges said, ‘Look at those Filipinos, they are small, thin and look like high school students, but their voices are so powerful,’” recounts Joseph Espadilla, the glee club’s tour manager.

“Among the other competitors, including the other Filipino choirs, we were the poorest. We had to beg for donations just to get to Korea. When we got there, we didn’t have enough money. It was all pressure at all fronts. So it was such a relief that we won,” Espadilla adds.

The group was awarded US$5,000 and a trophy, while Asibal received US$1,000.

Beyond stereotype

People who have heard and seen the choir describe their performance as beyond stereotype.

“I actually hate competitions. I never like the pressure. But with this performance, I just told the group to enjoy it, have fun,” Asibal says.

For the competition, the choral group sang three pieces—the upbeat “Lady Marmalade,” an ethnic song from the Cordillera titled “Kumala,” and the powerful “This is the Moment,” with Asibal doing the lead vocals.

In performing “Lady Marmalade,” the group had a rock-and-rhythm choreography, something that induced guffaws from the audience.

“This is the Moment” also impressed the judges because Asibal’s singing was not usually done by choir conductors.

Surprise victories

Espadilla says everyone was surprised to win because they knew that the other competitors had extensive experience in the field and had been all well-trained and well-funded.

“The others all had formal education in music, and even had doctorate degrees, major in voice, major in piano, etcetera. What we had are ordinary students taking up business administration, education … what chance did we have against them?” Espadilla says.

The best conductor award given to Asibal was also surprising because the Filipino defeated the Indonesian conductor who is a national artist in music and had won several individual titles in the past.

“We just made sure our performance will be fun, the audience and the judges might have felt that,” explains Asibal. “But the most important is that we always sing from the heart. That’s also the observation of one of the judges, that we sang from the heart, unlike other contestants who were more mechanical and technical.”

Patience, commitment

Local officials recognized the choir’s achievement and took pride in the fact that they defeated other more experienced and well-trained competitors.

Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, one of the choir’s benefactors, lauded the group for not giving up despite the difficulties in gathering enough funds.

Cagayan de Oro Mayor Constantino Jaraula also commended the group and promised to give more support for its future endeavors.

The National Commission on Culture and the Arts extended help, although belatedly, and has recognized the choir’s achievement by committing funding for its next engagements.

After winning, the choir immediately received invitations from other international festivals, including the Montana Music Festival to be held in summer next year in the United States.

“We almost gave up. We had very little time to prepare, barely six months. What made it worse was we also had to go out and sing to solicit money. We almost backed out,” recollects Asibal, hoping that their next competition will not be as stressful.

Asibal attributes their triumph to the patience and commitment of the whole group and the support of parents and the university officials. Inquirer.Net

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipino child prodigy impressed an audience in Brunei with her violin playing, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.

According to the DFA, the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam reported that seven-year old Kristine Clair Uchi Galano performed at the Sheraton Utama Hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam last October 19 .and drew rave comments from her audience, especially from members of the diplomatic corps and the expatriate community.

Performing in her 4th solo recital, Galano played a selection of Malay, Korean, classical, modern, and contemporary music, said the report.

The daughter of Evangeline and Romeo Galang, KC, as she is fondly called, began to show interest in listening to violin performances at the age of three.

At four, KC was given a violin by her parents as a gift, pushing her to take formal lessons at the Expressions Music School in Kiulap. Six months after enrolling, she started performing in Brunei and other neighboring states.

One of the highlights of KC’s career happened last July when she performed with noted violin teacher Albert Leonor as a musical offering to Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei.

She has also competed and won in numerous musical competitions, the most recent being the Malaysian Youth Music Festival 2008 held in Kuala Lumpur last August 23.

The child prodigy won the gold medal in all of the four violin categories she competed in, said the DFA.

She has also competed in the 15th Kota Kinabalu Music Festival held at the Pacific Sutera Hotel in Malaysia where she won one gold and six silver trophies.

Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Virginia Benavidez described KC as a “shining example of what the best the Filipino youth can offer” and that other Filipino children must be supported in other ventures as well.

“It is important that the members of the Filipino community in Brunei Darussalam continue to support the development of young Filipino artists such as Kristine Galano, who has made her family, school, her country and people proud with her numerous achievements,” she said. GMANews.tv

GMA News

MANILA, Philippines – A total of 39 medals, two of them gold, were garnered by the Philippine delegates during the recently concluded 2008 International Mathematics Competition (IMC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

In a statement, Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines head of delegation and President Dr. Simon Chua said Filipino students hauled two gold medals, 15 silvers and 22 bronze medals.

“Our contestants rose above the challenge and proved that they can compete with other students from other countries. We at the Mathematics Trainers Guild Philippines are very happy with their outstanding performance,” Dr. Chua said.

The Philippine delegation arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday night.

Ma. Czarina Angela Lao from St. Jude Catholic School, who was the lone gold medalist from the country in the elementary individual competition, won the first gold medal for the Philippines.

The other gold medal was won by Philippine Team A composed of Geraldine Baniqued of St. Paul College Pasig, Carmela Antoinette Lao of St. Jude Catholic School, Aileen Giselle Chua of Grace Christian High School and Jillian Kristel Sy of Chiang Kai Shek College.

They are also the same team that won 14 gold medals during last year’s competition in Hong Kong, the statement said.

Thailand Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and Thailand Education Minister Srimuang Charoensiri opened the math competition on October 26, underscoring the importance of the contest, which drew 25 countries including math powerhouse China.

Philippine Team A in the elementary bagged a silver medal in the team competition. They are Austin Edrich Chua, Ma. Czarina Angela Lao, John Thomas Chuatak, all of St. Jude Catholic School and Aldrich Aldwin Mayoralgo of Xavier School. Philippine Teams E and A bagged bronze medals in the group category.

The silver medalists from the Philippines in the elementary individual contest are Dielle Tio of St. Stephen’s High School, Hubert Yao of Iloilo Central Commercial High School, Sean Timothy Cheng of Grace Christian High School, and Aldrich Aldwin Mayoralgo of Xavier School.

In the secondary division, the individual silver medalists are Carlo Francisco Adajar of PAREF Southridge in Alabang, Vance Eldric Go of St. Jude Catholic School, Ricci Ryan Rojo of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Geraldine Baniqued of St. Paul College Pasig, John Russell Virata of Gideon Academy and Jillian Kristel Sy of Chiang Kai Shek College.

The bronze medalists in the individual contest in the IMC are:

* Philip Lizarda of San Beda College, Alabang;

* Austin Edrich Chua of St. Jude Catholic School;

* Andrew Joelle Caguntas of Bangkal Elementary School;

* Jakov Ivan Dumbrique of St. Paul College, Ilocos Sur;

* Martin Lewis Koa of St. Jude Catholic School;

* Richard Milante of Legazpi Hope Christian School;

* Jason Allan Tan of Jubilee Christian Academy;

* Arnold Lindros Lau of Xavier School;

* Mary Kryslette Bunyi of San Beda College Alabang;

* Regina Paz Onglao of St. Paul College Pasig;

* Carmela Antoinette Lao of St. Jude Catholic School;

* Evan Niccolo Lao of Xavier School;

* Alvin Uy Lim of Quezon City Science High School;

* Ervin Fredrick Dy of Chiang Kai Shek College;

* Elvis Jeremy Ayroso of Philippine Science High School;

* Arielle Elise Chua of St. Jude Catholic School;

* Aileen Giselle Chua of Grace Christian High School;

* Charles Rainier Belga of Taguig Science High School;

* Joel Edward Cardinal of Makati Science High School;

* Sterling Alvin Tiu of St. Stephen’s High School;

* John Thomas Chuatak of St. Jude Catholic School;

* Aileen Jennifer Cu of UNO High School;

* Joelle Sophia Pena of Saint Pedro Poveda College; and

* Sarah Jane Cua of Pangasinan Universal Institute

Besides the Philippines, other countries that participated in the contest are Australia, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Thailand, Canada, Laos, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Germany, Iran, Rwanda, South Africa, and Cyprus.

The Philippines placed fourth among 25 countries with math powerhouse China topping the contest with 51 medals followed by host Thailand with 49 and Indonesia, 41. Trailing the Philippines are Taiwan, 37; Bulgaria, 25; Hong Kong, 23; Singapore, 16; Malaysia, 10; and South Korea, 10.

The trainers and coaches of the students are Dr. Eduardo Dela Cruz, dean of the School of Education and Normal of Arellano University; Sid Aguilar, supervisor of DepEd Taguig City; Priscilla De Sagun, assistant schools division superintendent of Makati; Levita Portugal of the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology; Roberto Degolacion, Manuel Kotah, Emmanuel Pena, Jonathan Glorial, all team and deputy team leaders.

GMA News

MANILA, Philippines – Jericho Bañares caught a big fish on his way to advancing in the World Pool Association-backed World 10-Ball Championship Wednesday at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Bañares defeated former world champion Thorsten Hohmann of Germany 9-7 to book a seat in the 64-man knockout stage.

“I’d like to think that luck was on my side,” Bañares, who turns 19 Thursday, said. “I got the balls right where I wanted them to be and besides, I’ve played Hohmann before and I beat him.”

Bañares routed Hohmann in a Mandaluyong tournament earlier this year and it appeared that way again when the Filipino racked six straight wins to take a 6-2 lead.

Hohmann took advantage of a dry break by Bañares in the ninth table to start a four-rack streak and make it 6-all.

Ahead 8-7, Bañares cleaned up the 16th after a Hohmann off-angled safety shot.

Germany had reason to smile, however, after Ralf Souquet and Oliver Hortmann made it through the round of 64.

Bañares, the national juniors champion, joined Tuesday qualifiers Marlon Manalo, Victor Arpilleda, Demosthenes Pulpul and Leonardo Didal.

Among the RP casualties have been Florencio Banar and Elvis Calasang. After dropping their games Tuesday, Elmer Kalaquian and Mario Tolentino also bowed out.

Kalaquitan lost 9-6 to Wang Ming of China, while Tolentino fell 9-5 to Chang Lu-Yung of Chinese-Taipei.

Antonio Gabica, the reigning Asian Games champion, was also eliminated.

Lin Yuan-Chun of Chinese-Taipei, the women’s world 9-ball champion, was swept by Corey Deuel of the US 9-0.

GMA News

MANILA, Philippines- A six-year old Filipino ice skater bagged several medals at an international ice skating competition last month in Malaysia, a GMA News report said on Saturday.

Ashley Belizario bested contestants from 10 other Asian countries and took home one gold and three silver medals from several categories during the event dubbed Skate Asia 2008 the Malaysian capital city, Kuala Lumpur, said the report aired over QTV’s Balitanghali.

Belizario is a kindergarten student in Paref Woodrose School, a private school for girls in Ayala Alabang, in Manila’s southern suburb of Muntinlupa City.

She is now preparing for another world ice skating competition that would be held next year in the United States, the report said.

ABS-CBN News

An all-girl team from a Quezon City high school bagged the grand prize at the Disney Channel inter-school dance competition in Hong Kong last Saturday.

The Holy Spirit School team of Jessica Meñez, Czarina Jose, Krizia Duka, Lyza Torsiende and Julia Mella are all part of the dance group “Janssen Knights” that bested other entries in the “High School Musical: My School Rocks!” competition.

The competition brought together dance groups around Southeast Asia to choreograph their original dance moves using the songs inspired by Disney Channel original movie, “High School Musical 2.”

A video of Janssen Knights’ performance was posted as an entry at the Disney Channel Web site, where it had gathered 29,000 votes from viewers across the region.

With the victory, the Janssen Knights got the chance to perform in the upcoming “High School Musical: Live!”, which will also be staged in Hong Kong Disneyland.

The team is expected to arrive in Manila Monday afternoon.