ASTANA, Kazakhstan (Aug 2026) – Four Pinoy high school students achieved a perfect 100% medal rate in the country’s first appearance at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), proving that local tech talent can immediately compete with the best in the world.
Competing against 466 high school participants from 108 countries and territories in Astana, Kazakhstan, the four-member Philippine delegation bagged one silver and three bronze medals. Theo Lorenzo T. Bustamante from Philippine Science High School – CALABARZON Region Campus led the pack with a silver medal, ranking 80th overall and placing in the top 17% of all competitors.
Teammates Ellison Matthew S. Ang from Philippine Science High School – Main Campus, Juan Mateo J. Desuasido from Brent International School Manila, and Jhareign S. Solidum from University of Mindanao Ilang High School each earned bronze medals. Their combined efforts placed the Philippines among only 11 debut nations to secure at least one silver medal at this year’s competition.
Intensive training behind the win
The delegation was selected through a free, merit-based national screening process managed by IOAI PH, an initiative hosted by the Ateneo Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD) under Ateneo de Manila University’s John Gokongwei School of Management. Over a 10-month period, Ateneo BUILD prepared the students through intensive bootcamps focused on machine learning theory, computer vision, natural language processing, audio processing, and VRAM constraint optimization.
According to IOAI PH Executive Director and Team Leader Martin Gomez, the victory demonstrates the immense potential of local young talent when paired with structured training and solid community backing. He noted that achieving a full medal sweep against established STEM powerhouses sets a strong baseline for future Pinoy contenders in artificial intelligence.
Opening doors for future AI leaders
Beyond national pride, the achievements carry tangible academic benefits for the young medalists. Major institutions including Ateneo de Manila University, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence recognize IOAI medals in their admissions and competitive scholarship evaluations.
The team’s participation was backed by full financial support from the IOAI Board and Committee, alongside contributions from national government agencies and private sector sponsors. Looking ahead, the Philippines aims to build on this initial success as the 4th International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence heads to Singapore in 2027.
