UP Debate Society Hosts Largest Asian Parliamentary Debate Competition in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In its 15th year, the Philippine Intercollegiate Debating Championship (PIDC) kicks off with more than 30 institutions set to battle it out this April 15-20, 2016 in UP Diliman. The University of the Philippines Debate Society (UPDS) is the main organizer of PIDC, the largest Asian Parliamentary debate tournament in the country. Approximately 500 debaters and adjudicators will compete for the prestigious championship title.

Engaging in arduous seven preliminary rounds, debaters from various colleges and universities shall be filtered thereon. The adjudicators are assigned randomly and scored after each round. The top sixteen teams, ranked according to the number of wins and individual speaker scores, will advance to the Octofinals. After, the remaining teams will undergo a series of single elimination rounds that will take the top two teams to the Grand Finals.

The Adjudication Core, as elected by the Philippine Debate Union (PDU), is responsible for composing the official motions handed out every round. The distinguished members of this year’s PIDC are the following: Jose Escalante from the University of the Philippines Diliman, Milky Babilonia from the University of the Philippines Los Bańos, Inah Robles from Ateneo de Manila University, Charles de Belen from San Beda College, and Avi Castano from De La Salle University Manila.

The motions, or topics that participants will debate on, range from global concerns to pressing local issues. This year, PIDC 2016’s theme is Empower Discourse. With the aim to elevate Philippine debating as a platform for youth involvement especially in the 2016 elections season, motions tackle issues from socio-legal to political and economic.

As a way of celebrating national diversity, PIDC also hosts the Sinag Cup. It invites the four highest ranked novice teams from the National Capital Region (NCR), Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This is to showcase exceptional talent and recognize the spirit of friendly competition among representatives from very different but also rich regional backgrounds.

PIDC, as much as it is a debating tournament, is also a social fora for individuals to engage and build connections. One of the events is the Opening Dinner, a formal event open to all participants, that will take place in Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman, on the night of the 15th of April. Food and entertainment provided grace participants and lighten the atmosphere to welcome the following day, the start of the Preliminary Rounds.

An Issue Forum will also happen on April 18. It is conducted to stimulate intellectual discourse among the Filipino Youth and aims to provide an array of perspectives regarding the latest issues of today. This year, the forum puts in the spotlight award-winning journalist Patricia Evangelista and acclaimed sociologist Dr. Nicole Curato as they deliver a discussion on their Rappler presidential elections series, The Imagined President. Interested students and concerned participants are welcome to take part in this public event in UP Diliman Campus for free.

On the evening of the same day, the Break Night party will conclude the preliminaries. Participants are most welcome to enjoy free-flowing drinks at the Palace Pool Club. This is when the Adjudication Core officially releases the list of the top sixteen teams and adjudicators.

The successful teams will battle it out through the finals series. The emerging two best teams will face each other during the much awaited Championship Dinner at the Asian Development Bank. The finals will be broadcasted on PTV4 on April 24, 9:30 pm.

At the end of the five-day tournament, the victorious team is awarded, along with the top ten debaters and top ten adjudicators.

PIDC 2016 has always been a celebration of brilliant ideas crafted in the hopes of inspiring the world. This would not be possible without the partnership with ADB Youth. It is co-presented by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, ANC, PTV4, Lazada, and Kalibrr. The tournament’s media partners include: the National Youth Commission, ASEAN Youth Leaders Association, Rappler, When In Manila, ClickTheCity, Wazzup Pilipinas, DZUP 1602, Maroon FM, and Magic 89.9.

For inquiries regarding our participation in our public events, send us a message atfacebook.com/pidconline. To be a media partner or co-sponsor, emailpidc2016@gmail.com and contact Nicole Tomas, PIDC Marketing Director, at 09173042118.

About "WazzupPilipinas.com"

WazzupPilipinas.com is the fastest growing and most awarded blog and social media community that has transcended beyond online media. It has successfully collaborated with all forms of media namely print, radio and television making it the most diverse multimedia organization. The numerous collaborations with hundreds of brands and organizations as online media partner and brand ambassador makes WazzupPilipinas.com a truly successful advocate of everything about the Philippines, and even more since its support extends further to even international organizations including startups and SMEs that have made our country their second home.