The University of the Philippines Debate Society (UPDS) welcomes 320 debaters and judges for the Philippine Inter-Collegiate Debating Championship (PIDC). Now on its 15th year, PIDC will run from April 17-22 at the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus. Eighty teams will compete for the coveted national title. The tournament is the largest national debate competition in the Asian Parliamentary format.
Debaters representing different colleges and universities nationwide will go through seven gruelling preliminary rounds. The top sixteen teams, determined by the total number of wins and total speaker points, will proceed to the finals series. The sixteen teams will go through single elimination rounds until two teams remain for the Championship Round. This year’s Championship Dinner and Final Round will be held at the Asian Development Bank Headquarters.
At the end of the five-day tournament, Philippine’s top ten debaters and top ten adjudicators will be awarded along with the tournament champions.
PIDC also celebrates diversity through the Sinag Cup. The Sinag Cup pools four non-Manila representatives from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It promotes regional camaraderie and celebrates diversity. To this day, the Sinag Cup remains to be a coveted prize.
To engage Filipino youth even beyond the debate community, an Issue Forum will be held on April 20. Speakers in the past have included Economist Solita “Winnie” Monsod and Senate President Franklin Drilon. This year’s forum features Senator Risa Hontiveros, showcasing comprehensive insights regarding development and women in society.. This event is free and open to the public. Interested delegates and students are encouraged to attend this event at UP Diliman.
PIDC 2015 celebrates the potential of youth and intellectual discussion in partnership with ADB Youth. To know more about PIDC, visit updebatesociety.com/PIDC.
