Senate approves bill granting Filipino citizenship to math prodigy

The Senate has approved a bill on final reading granting Filipino citizenship to math prodigy Farrel Eldrain Wu.

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, chairman of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights and sponsor of House Bill 4073, said Wu, who was born in the Philippines in 2000 to Chinese parents, had expressed his desire to obtain a Filipino citizenship. The bill was introduced by Representatives Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo and Neil Tupas Jr.

Wu, a Grade 10 student at the Makati Gospel Church New Life Christian Academy, is the youngest medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiad and its Asia Pacific counterpart. In 2012, he bested several other international participants and became the world champion in the 1st Brilliant Live Mathematics Challenge sponsored by the United States-based Brilliant Organization. He obtained a perfect score in another competition held in Australia on the same year and earned a gold medal award.

Wu consistently placed first in various national math competitions and earned recognition for his school which included the Youngest participant at the 54th International Math Olympiad (IMO) held on July, 2013 at Sta. Marta, Colombia where he was given an Honorable Mention Award; Bronze Medalist and youngest participant at the 55th International Math Olympiad (IMO) held on July, 2014 at Cape Town, South Africa; First Place (NCR Area Stage) at the 16th Philippine Math Olympiad held during School Year 2013-2014; Silver Medal, Asian-Pacific Mathematics Olympiad held at University of the Philippines last March 10, 2015; and Perfect Scorer and Distinguished Honor Roll, American Mathematics Competitions 12th Grade, Mathematics Association of America last February 8, 2015.

"Wu's next challenge is to be able to represent and to win for the country the gold medal in the upcoming International Mathematical Olympiad at Chiang Mai, Thailand on July 4 to 6, 2015," Pimentel said in his sponsorship speech.

He said Wu was named by the United States-based Business Insider as one of the "10 Smartest Kids in the World" and the only student from the Philippines to ever make it on that prestigious list.

"Wu wants and desires to be a Filipino Citizen. His parents, Ching Y. Wu and Elaine S. Wu, have also given their consent to Wu's seeking for a Philippine citizenship," Pimentel said.

"As someone who we can all regard already as a national pride, I have no doubt that Master Wu has truly shown himself more than deserving of Filipino citizenship," he added.