Did you see the recent comic episode in Sen. Jamby Madrigal’s "Pythagorean theorem" and "elasticities" jargon in discussing cigarette tax issues, causing other senators to laugh in bewilderment or suffer from headaches? Was Madrigal making sense or just spewing out fancy theories to impress the gallery? How come most of our politicians in the Senate appeared like clueless students who just flunked algebra exams?

This column recently received an e-mail from the Mathematics Trainers’ Guild, Philippines (MTGP) asking assistance for private sector sponsorships for their hosting of the 2005 Philippine Elementary Mathematics International Contest (PEMIC 2005), a five-day competition set for May 2005. Government supports this major project through the Department of Education and the Department of Science & Technology, but these state agencies are unable to give financial support.

PEMIC 2005 hopes to gather over 50 teams, including those from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and Vietnam. The math trainers of the country are inviting sponsors to support this major event, which seeks to promote the country’s international image and to elevate the mathematics standards of Philippine schools to world-class levels. Interested sponsors can contact Dr. Eduardo de la Cruz at 734-7371 or text 0917-3502686, or Roberto Degolacion at 0917-3246302. The vice president for internal affairs of MTGP is Lucy O. Sia, my former trigonometry math teacher at Grace Christian High School who is legendary for being quicker than a calculator in solving the most puzzling math problems mentally.

One of the best ways to promote global competitiveness in the Philippines is to upgrade mathematics education nationwide. How can we ignite a national entrepreneurial revolution of many of our people, even our politicians who control the state coffers, do not know how to count well? How can we have economic progress, industrial growth and technological innovations if we do not mass produce more engineers and technical experts proficient in mathematical principles?