College of Arts and Sciences took the championship title from the College of International and Hospitality Management after the discussion of anti-government protest in the MSEUF 77th Founding Anniversary Celebration Debate Competition at the AEC Little Theatre, Feb. 14.
Aside from the championship title, CAS debater Ellie Hachaso earned the Best Debater award after highlighting that protests are not limited to the Philippines but of an international value which can be considered as a form of feedback mechanism. This earned CAS the advantage points for the final round of the competition.
On the other hand, Atty. Rei Baligod, one of the judges, appreciated Hans Adriel Gabriel of CIHTM, who defended the opposition to the very end with full confidence despite being in a disadvantageous situation, awarding him as the Best Speaker.
While the second judge, Atty. Chelsea Eichel Dauz, shunned CIHTM with the existence of a peaceful rally in Davao, breaking the margin between the two departments’ definition of anti-government protests.
Meanwhile, the College of Education debate team clinched third place against CIHTM
In contrast to the previous year’s five teams, the 2024 Debate Competition featured seven teams from different departments that tackled a range of local and national issues.
The topics included the question of whether Transnational Education should be supported (debated by the College of Engineering and the College of Business and Accountancy), whether hate speech against Asians is a valid form of freedom of expression in the Philippines (debated by the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences), and the potential nationwide discontinuation of SHS programs within SUCs and LUCs (debated by the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the College of International Hospitality and Tourism Management).
Also included were the abolition of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-free Zone (debated by the College of Education and the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice), and the cooperation of the Philippine Government administration in the ICC investigation on the alleged Crimes against humanity committed by the former administration (debated by the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business and Accountancy).
