MANILA, Philippines--The country may still have a long way to go before one of its citizens bags a Nobel Prize, but for these young Filipino scientists who ranked highly in a South Korean tournament, anything is possible.

Six students from the Philippine Science High School 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 of them 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 held in the city of Changwon from Dec. 6-15.

First started in 2004, the Olympiad drew some 250 science wizards aged 15 or younger from more than 40 countries and city-states including Taiwan, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia.

"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, he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone in a mix of Filipino and English.

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

Acuna said the examination proper had three parts: a 30-item multiple choice test, a theoretical exam with three questions, one each for physics, chemistry and biology, and a group experiment divided into the three disciplines.

"Before the exam, we (the Philippine delegates) were always in a huddle, reviewing and asking each other questions that may be asked in the exam," he said in a separate phone interview.

"On the whole, the Asians, including us, were more reserved and silent. The Europeans were the party people types," Acuna said.

He said they felt a bit disadvantaged upon learning that some of the other nationals, especially the Taiwanese delegates, spent several months preparing for the competition, 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," said Tan, who spoke with the Inquirer via text messages.

Tan said winning silver was "quite unexpected." "We did not expect good results but of course we were hoping," he said.

Helen Caintic, the PSHS executive director, who accompanied the students, described their achievement in much more glowing terms: "This is a proud moment for all Filipinos. Once again, we have shown what Filipinos are made of," she said in a press statement.

Acuna 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.

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 gold and four silver, a Thai news website reported.

Acuna said the Philippines "almost got a gold," with Rodriguez and him just six points away from the cut-off. He added that Rodriguez was ahead of him by 0.5 point.

In the PSHS statement, he said the test questions tended to favor the host countries, which typically patterned the exam according to their own curricula. "It appeared the questionnaire, as in previous competitions, was biased in favor of the hosting countries," he said.

For instance, Indonesia, which hosted the first two editions of the Olympiad, won top honors in the years they hosted the event, as did Taiwan and Korea.

Based on a tally by the IJSO website, the Philippines had won only two silver medals and a bronze medal in the last Olympiad.

Rodriguez said their performance this year made him realize that Filipinos had the brainpower to compete with other countries in science and mathematics despite the dismal state of education here.

"Kaya naman talaga e (It can really be done)," said the 15-year-old, who wants to take medicine at the University of the Philippines when he graduates next year.

Tan said the Philippines has been doing well in scholastic competitions like IJSO, and, in terms of curriculum, it has been "a little advanced compared to other countries."

Asked to elaborate, he said: "(Among) science high schools, the curriculum is advanced compared to other countries, while (among) ordinary schools, we are not lagging behind other countries in terms of what they are studying."

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 Acuna thought differently. "With other developing nations, we can compete. But with advanced countries like China, I think we're one or two years behind."

Acuna and Tan each said they wanted to pursue a degree in physics from UP. 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," Acuna said, adding: "My friends find it weird."

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?

Acuna 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 to the developed countries."

Tan's answer used virtually the same words: "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."