Asian debaters converge in Manila for regional tilt

MANILA, Philippines - Young and brilliant minds from all over Asia converge in Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines Diliman for a week to compete in the fourth United Asian Debating Championship, the biggest regional debate tournament in the Asian parliamentary format.

Jointly hosted by the ADMU Debate Society and the UP Debate Society, the competition, running from May 23-30, draws hundreds of debaters from more than 60 institutions all over the region. Teams include debaters from China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and South Korea, among others.

Teams in the tournament will battle it out for eight preliminary rounds, where the top teams will be chosen to proceed in the sudden death rounds which will determine the ultimate champion.

Competitive collegiate debating in the Asian parliamentary format covers a wide range of social, economic, cultural and political issues, and debaters are only given 30 minutes in preparation to deliver a seven-minute speech. Two teams of three members go against each other, and the winner is decided by a pool of adjudicators.

The tournament is the second major international debate competition hosted by the Philippines in three years, after the De La Salle University hosted in December 2011 the World Universities Debate Championship.