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.

Creating a ‘Smarter’ City Through the Human Centric Innovation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Different nations are now embarking on a journey to become smarter. But with the looming population growth worldwide, how will it be possible for one city to address their setbacks for growth?

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the world’s urban population is expected to grow to 70 percent by 2050. This trend makes efficient resource usage and traffic even bigger challenges, making sustainable urbanization more relevant than ever.

“There’s going to be a completely different paradigm of the world coming,” said Rio Yamaura, vice president of Fujitsu’s New Solution Business Division.

According to Yamaura, the concept of having a smarter city is rooted from the amalgamation of people, infrastructure and information, with people at the society’s very core. This is the Human Centric Innovation, an approach to creating business and social value by empowering people with the power of technology.

During the recently held Fujitsu Asia Conference in Makati, City, Yamaura explained that Singapore adopted this approach to create a “futuristic urban city.”

Last year, Fujitsu penned a master research collaboration agreement with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Singapore Management University to harness ICT in developing solutions for sustainable urban operations including crowd mobility and transport engineering.

Top Malaysian Prospect Gianni Subba on Road to ONE Championship Title

Wazzup Pilipinas!

One of the top Malaysian mixed martial arts prospects, 23-year old flyweight standout Gianni Subba (7-1) will return to the ONE Championship cage next Friday at ONE: GLOBAL RIVALS, against the Philippines best flyweight bet Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio (7-4) of Baguio City’s Team Lakay. With a victory, Subba feels he will be one step closer to a shot at the ONE Flyweight World Championship.

“Whatever one championship has planned for me, the goal is to win a world title for Malaysia,” said Subba, who faces his toughest test yet in Eustaquio.

Eustaquio is arguably the Philippines’ most talented fighter at flyweight, with a record of seven wins and only four defeats. The Filipino stalwart is known for keeping his cool and composure in the face of adversity, while dishing out some of the fastest strikes in the business nicely packed in Wushu Sanshou.

For Subba, the fact that Eustaquio is also on the rise makes him feel their paths would inevitably cross one day.

“I always knew that I would eventually be fighting Geje [Eustaquio] so I wasn't surprised that I got the matchup,” said Subba. “He's fought some of the best in the division and I'm working my way up, it was inevitable.”

At seven wins and just one loss, Subba is at the top of the list of flyweight prospects on the cusp of a breakout performance. All Subba needs is one solid victory against a highly-ranked opponent, and he could be next in line for a crack at ONE Championship gold.