ON JUNE 11, three students of the Ateneo De Manila High School—Renz Reyes, Luigi Alcaneses and Hans Gonzalez—won the most prestigious international debate competition in Asia.
The Asian Schools Debate Championship (ASDC) was held in Kuala Lumpur from June 4 to 11; over a hundred debaters from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries competed.
Competitors debated on various issues in international relations, economic policies, feminism and media. Teams were given 30 minutes to prepare three seven-minute speeches before the debate proper.
The ninth and final round of the tournament was contested by Ateneo on the affirmative side, and Singapore Debate Development Program on the negative side. They debated on the motion, “This house regrets the rise of alteration products and services targeted to alter one’s skin.”
By consistently and logically arguing that alteration products contributed to a culture of racism and discrimination in society, and that individual freedom was often compromised by the pressure to have fairer skin, Ateneo won the championship on a 5-4 split decision in front of nine judges. Renz Reyes was awarded Best Speaker of the Final.
The last time the Philippines won ASDC was in 2010, when Vincent Soriano, Javier Pablo and Anton Sison cinched the title for Ateneo High School. Ateneo holds the record for having the most appearances in the Asian grand finals: five times in the last seven years (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016).
Championship experience
Reyes, Alcaneses and Gonzalez are no strangers to the big stage. Since November 2015, the three Ateneans have competed in four local and international tournaments, including ASDC. The trio won every competition they joined, and boast an impressive cumulative record of 30 wins and 0 losses.
According to Alcaneses, “All of our past championships have led to this moment. From the very first championship at the Balboa Cup, to the Rotary National Debate Championship, our dynamic as a team seemed to evolve and get better.”
He adds that there is no substitute for hard work for achieving success. “In the summer, we never wanted to limit ourselves to the routine training that was available to our entire contingent. We wanted to take it a step further and work even more for ASDC. We set aside extra days on weekends to read up on issues and compile our files. We wanted to be ready for any topic that would come out.”
Laban, Pilipinas
The months of rigorous preparation paid off for the team in the grand finals. With the debate held in a packed auditorium, and with countless others watching the live stream of the grand finals online, the boys managed to carry themselves with poise and composure.
Reyes described his experience of the grand finals as being different from the other debate rounds. “We weren’t just representing our team or school. We were representing the country.”
Gonzalez added, “When our advancing to the final was announced, we made it our duty to bring back the title to the Philippines. In addition to the final being held on the eve of Independence Day, the sense of honor pushed us to be at our best.”
The art of public speaking
A fourth Atenean brought public speaking pride and glory to the Philippines during ASDC. Matti Tan, a sophomore, was awarded First Place Overall out of over a hundred participants who joined the Public Speaking segment of the competition. The event challenged participants to make witty, entertaining and even comedic impromptu speeches about a variety of topics. After three preliminary rounds, a semifinal and final round, Tan emerged with the highest marks before a panel of five judges.
Tan made sure that being the youngest and least experienced member of the contingent would not be a barrier toward achieving success.
“Before every speech, I would normally feel anxious. I resorted to what a Jesuit mentor, Fr. Asandas Balchand, taught me for these times: Imagine you are talking to a tree, or even a close friend. Be as casual as if nothing was at stake; that’s how every single word will have purpose and meaning in your speech.” Tan believes that the same advice is applicable for debating.
Teach me to be generous
The rest of the Ateneo contingent also reaped awards and distinctions. The team of Tan, Phil Javellana and Lorenzo Lazaro ranked among the top eight teams after the preliminary rounds.
They were eliminated only when they battled it out against the eventual champions in the quarterfinal round and bowed out with a 2-1 split decision.
Meanwhile, the all-novice team of JC Cruz, Carlos Tiu and Red Nadela reached the semifinal round of the Novice Category. They were also awarded with the third, seventh and eighth Best Novice Speaker awards, respectively.
Finally, the team of Paulo Valencia, Ervin Grana and Nicky Solis finished as one of the teams with the highest cumulative speaker points in the tournament. They were the only team to face three of the four best teams in Asia.
When asked how an entire team could reap so much success, team captain Alcaneses pointed out the importance of a team-first culture, and how everyone gave up three to four days of summer vacation to train for the tournament.
He also shared how members of the team were genuinely close to one another outside of debate tournaments, doing team dinners and other bonding activities.
Reyes added that before every competition, the team huddled and prayed the St. Ignatius’ Prayer For Generosity. As the solemn lines of the Jesuit prayer go, the team is rooted in the faith that being generous with one’s talents is both a spiritual anchor and service to others.
A tool for empowering the youth
Through this experience, the Ateneans realized they had become role models. They also saw the debate as more than a form of competition; it was a tool for youth empowerment.
Alcaneses had a simple message for young, aspiring debaters. “You should never give up. In my entire career, and many times throughout ASDC, I felt like losing and failing. But it was my faith and hope that pushed me forward.”
Said Reyes: “The worst thing you can do is to settle. Settling is just a nicer word for defeat. It is more fulfilling to fail trying than to just give up.”
When asked how debate applies to real life, Gonzalez answered, “Discourse is valued because it can translate into real change. It is important to have the youth—those whom society entrusts with making changes in the future—question how things can always be better. Debate is one of the biggest avenues the youth has to be involved in the democratic process.”
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