Diliman debaters emerge as champions of the UP System-wide Debate Intervarsities Jessica Hermosa | September 2007
The U.P. Debate Society, the official debating organization of Diliman, bagged the championship at the U.P. System-wide Debate Intervarsities held last September 14-16 at U.P. Los Baņos. Diliman debaters Richard Beltran (III-Pol Sci) and Ma. Theresa Grajo (IV-Bus Admin) bested the other teams from U.P. Manila, Iloilo, Los Baņos, and Baguio. Grajo bagged the Best Speaker of the Finals and Best Over-all Speaker awards.
Diliman also dominated the Grand Finals making up two of the four teams in the deciding round, the other team being made up of Joanne Elizabeth Atienza (III-Nutri) and Claire Jiao (III-Journ).
The contingent also took over the Top 10 Best Speakers list, with its five of its members in the ranking---Grajo as best speaker, Christian Marx Villa (III-Econ) as 2nd best speaker, Jonjon Avila (III-Speech Comm) and Atienza as 6th best speakers, and Jiao as 9th best speaker.
All seven Diliman teams qualified for no less than a quarterfinalist position. The following were quarterfinalist debaters: Jovan Cerda (II-Journ) and Raymund Vitorio (III-Eng Studies); Lester Yupingkun (III-Sports Sci) and Kriska Kalingking (III-Interior Design); Melissa Sayoc (III-Bus Econ) and Aaron Chan (II-Pol Sci); and Emilia David (IV-Comp Lit) and Florianne Jimenez (II-Comp Lit). Meanwhile, Kenneth Cardenas (IV-Socio) also qualified as a quarterfinalist adjudicator. Debaters Avila and Villa on the other hand, made it all the way to the semi-finals.
The U.P. System-wide debates are the first in the series of British Parliamentary tournaments this year which UPDS will be participating in. The Diliman debaters are currently training for the upcoming Nationals to be held in Baguio and Worlds to be held in Thailand.
