Palace lauds Filipino winners in beauty, math tilts

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Monday expressed elation on what it said was the country’s reaping of “victory on two fronts.”

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda congratulated Miss Philippines-World Gwendoline Ruais for bagging first place in the just concluded 2011 Miss World Pageant held in London, as well as Grade 6 student Farrel Eldrian Wu for bagging the gold in the 2011 World Mathematics Team Championship held in Beijing, China.

President Aquino also congratulated the 21-year-old Filipino-French Ruais, who lost to Venezuela’s Ivian Sacros. “Congratulations to Ms. Gwendoline Ruais! First runner-up in the 2011 Miss World beauty pageant held at Earls Court, London on Sunday,” said Aquino on his Twitter account (@PresidentNoy).

In a statement, Lacierda said that Wu, together with six other grade school students, topped the primary division individual contests of the 2011 World Mathematics Team Championship held in Beijing on November 2-6.

He also congratulated elementary school students Clyde Wesley Ang, Miguel Lorenzo Ildesa, Andrea Jaba, Sedrick Scott Keh and John Aries Ceazar Hingan, who composed Philippines Team 1 and placed second overall in the team contest.

“We extend our congratulations to our Pinoy math whiz kids and Miss Philippines for once again proving that we Filipinos are capable of competing against the best and the brightest on the world stage,” Lacierda said.