Xavier Debate Team wins national high school tilt

MANILA, Philippines – The Xavier Debate Team emerged as the champion at the 15th Philippine Schools Debate Championship (PSDC) held at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) from Jan. 14 to 17, 2016.

Xavier A composed of Matthew Araneta and Ignacio Villareal snagged the championship title in the grand finals as opening opposition against the motion “This house would abolish the presidential power to veto legislative bills.” Xavier A was joined by Ateneo High School (AHS) A (Luigi Alcaneses and Renz Reyes) as opening government, Xavier B (Alfonso Tan and Jacob Wee) and Xavier C (Jaime Siy and Steven Sy) as closing government and closing opposition in the grand finals.

A seven-man panel of college debaters awarded the Xavier A team in a consensus decision.

Wee was awarded best speaker of the finals while Araneta was declared the tournament's best speaker.

Alyana Laddaran of Immaculate Conception Academy (ICA), Mira Siquijor of PAREF Woodrose School and Martha Ysaac of St. Scholastica’s College ranked eighth best speakers. Hans Gonzales of AHS and Frances Ho from ICA were tied at the sixth spot for best speakers.

Paulo Valencia and Alcaneses from AHS were named as the fourth best speakers while Clarice Tee of ICA and Reyes of AHS were second and third placers, respectively.

Prior to the championship, 108 teams competed in seven preliminary rounds to rank within the top 32 teams to debate in the elimination rounds. 

Assumption College C, composed of Stefi Alabastro and Lexi Lagamon won the Ana Alano Cup, for teams who did not reach the top 32 and whose institutions have never reached the tournament's main grand final.

The debate topics were researched and prepared by a core of well-achieved university debaters composed of Abbo Hernandez (ADMU), Karlo Antonio (San Beda College), and Clinton Ronquillo (University of the Philippines Los Baños) and Leslie Torres (University of the Philippines Diliman),

PSDC, hosted by ADMU’s Ateneo Debate Society since 2002, is the biggest and most inclusive high school debate tournament in the Philippines, with 216 high school students joining from 25 various institutions.