The Ateneo Debate Union successfully defended the championship in the 29th Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Championship (MPDC) making this Ateneo de Zamboanga’s third consecutive championship. Moreover, five speakers from the Union were awarded as one of Top 10 speakers of the tournament and two of the judges were awarded as one of the Top 5 adjudicators of the tournament.
The MPDC is the most competitive Mindanao debate tournament. The 29th MPDC was held in Father Saturnino Urios University, Butuan City, from January 31 to February 2, 2014.
The university’s representatives to this tournament were:
Debaters
Team A
Glenn William Alcala, BS Accountancy V
Ruby Jane Calletor, BS Accountancy IV
Kelvin Culajara, BS Accountancy V
Team B
Pjey Fidel, BS Biology III
Khalid Lozano, BS Management Accounting IV
Kim Arnold Señerez, BS Nursing III
Team C
Darren Biri, BS Accountancy I
Andre Dagoy, BS Accountancy I
Allen Ross Sanoria, BS Accountancy I
Adjudicators
Sheena Mae Alcala, BA Communication III
Kurt Jesher Recinto, BS Accountancy I
Jenny Mae Talaver, AB Philosophy I
Observer
Marion Bais Guerrero, Faculty, Languages Department, School of Liberal Arts
Elimination Rounds
After four (4) elimination rounds, AdZU Team A was declared the team with the 2nd highest accumulated team and speaker scores while AdZU Team B was ranked 3rd, thereby allowing the teams to proceed to the final series. There were 32 competing teams from 13 Mindanao institutions. Sheena Mae Alcala and Kurt Jesher Recinto also accumulated enough scores to be qualified to judge in the final series. The elimination rounds saw our debaters defend or object propositions like abolishing the grade marking system and replacing it with a “pass or fail” system, and regretting the LGBT movement’s “born this way” narrative.
Final Rounds
AdZU Team A won against Mindanao State University – Marawi in the quarterfinals with a unanimous vote. They also won against Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology in the semifinals with a 3-2 split. They met Xavier University’s Team A in the grand finals where they won with a 6-1 split and successfully defended the championship. Kelvin Culajara was awarded as the Best Speaker of the Grand Finals.
AdZU Team B faced Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology in the quarterfinals and narrowly lost to their foe in the adjudication of two out of the three judges in their round.
Speaker and Judge Awards
Kim Arnold Señerez was awarded as the 3rd Best Speaker of the tournament. Kelvin Culajara, Glenn William Alcala, and Khalid Lozano shared the 4th Best Speaker award. Finally, Ruby Jane Calletor was awarded as the 8th Best Speaker.
Kurt Jesher Recinto and Sheena Mae Alcala were awarded as the 2nd Best Adjudicator and 4th Best Adjudicator of the tournament, respectively.
Summary of Achievements
- AdZU Team A (Glenn William Alcala, Ruby Jane Calletor, & Kelvin Culajara) won the grand finals and claimed the championship for the third consecutive time for AdZU. The team also ranked 2nd out of the 32 teams in the elimination rounds.
- AdZU Team B (Pjey Fidel, Khalid Lozano, & Kim Arnold Señerez) reached the quarterfinals. The team also ranked 3rd out of the 32 teams in the elimination rounds.
- AdZU Team C (Darren Biri, Andre Dagoy, & Allen Ross Sanoria) ranked 16th out of the 32 teams in the elimination rounds.
- Kurt Jesher Recinto as the 2nd Best Adjudicator of the tournament
- Sheena Mae Alcala as the 4th Best Adjudicator of the tournament
- Kim Arnold Señerez as the 3rd Best Speaker of the tournament
- Kelvin Culajara, Glenn William Alcala, and Khalid Lozano as the 4th Best Speaker of the tournament
- Ruby Jane Calletor as the 8th Best Speaker of the tournament
