Filipino math whiz Lebron James Bermudez Pornillos led the 14-member Philippine delegation at the 2026 Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge in awards, winning two gold medals and a silver while taking the Overall Runner-up honor in the Grade 6 category.
Pornillos, a 12-year-old from General Trias City, Cavite, captured gold in the individual Math Olympiad and another gold in the Math Master Mind team challenge, while earning silver in Math Warriors. The Philippine Embassy in Singapore said his three competition medals were the most won by any single member of the Philippine team, “reflecting an extraordinary mathematical ability, teamwork, and consistency throughout the competition.”
His Grade 6 Overall Runner-up award was separate from his competition medals. SIMOC determines the overall rankings by combining each participant’s scores from the individual and team events before naming the top three performers in every grade level.
Pornillos competed against 2,285 students from 1,113 schools representing 40 countries and territories. SIMOC 2026 took place at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore from July 17 to 21, followed by the awards ceremony on July 22.
SIMOC features three competition components. The individual Math Olympiad requires participants to answer 25 questions within 90 minutes, while Math Warriors tests mental calculation and strategic thinking with an element of chance. Math Master Mind, meanwhile, challenges students to perform quick mental calculations and make decisions under time pressure.
For the team competitions, SIMOC groups participants into teams of five, bringing together students from different countries and, where possible, different grade levels within the same division. Pornillos competed in the Upper Primary Division for Grades 4 to 6.
The Philippine delegation collectively brought home 19 awards, consisting of six golds, six silvers, six bronzes and one honorable mention. Second Secretary and Consul Renee Gayle M. Chua of the Philippine Embassy was present at the July 22 awarding ceremony.
Pornillos has since advanced to Grade 7 at the Philippine Science High School Main Campus in Diliman, Quezon City. He previously graduated with Highest Honors from Sunny Brooke Elementary School in General Trias, where he had already built an impressive record of mathematics competition victories
