THE SAN BEDA Debate Society (SBDS) showcased their skills at the National Debate Championships (NDC) Hermosa hosted by the Western Mindanao State University League of Debaters held last November 12 to 17 in Zamboanga City, producing two teams who placed 23rd and 27th, respectively.
SBDS Team Captain and Prime Minister Alexandrea Chloe Baylon recalled that the last time they participated in a face-to-face national debate competition was in Cebu last 2019.
The SBDS organized two teams for the debate portion of the NDC. Coincidentally, 60 teams participated from different institutions and universities. SBU A, composed of Baylon (IV – AB Political Science) and Denver Provido (IV – AB Literature), finished as the 27th ranked team nationally and advanced to the Open Octofinals.
SBU B, on the other hand, was represented by Maxinne Marie (II – BS Legal Management) who advanced as the 23rd ranked team in the Philippines and reached the Open Quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Erin Denise Fajardo (IV – BS Human Biology) reached the National Quarterfinals as a breaking judge.
In an interview, Baylon shared that they “had to set up tryouts for NDC, primarily because NDC costs a lot of money.” Debaters underwent five rounds of tryouts, including a judge test, to determine the team lineup and the level of subsidy they would receive.
Once the team was finalized, SBDS focused on training which included “in-house sparring sessions, participation in online tournaments, and cross-training with other debate teams.” Alumni of the Society also actively supported the team by “providing feedback and judging sparring matches.”
Into the match, Baylon expressed how the challenges of the competition “would be waking up early. In online debate tournaments, sometimes we just wake up 30 minutes before the first round,” further expressing the greater physical effort in a face-to-face setting, attesting to having to move from different locations constantly.
In addition to that, Asst. Prof. Gerard Santos, the moderator of SBDS, also disclosed the ordeal of having to face delegates who were “seasoned debaters with a number of experiences in said competitions.” Even after the match, the team’s journey back home was “delayed due to the typhoon, prompting them to stay another day.”
Despite these challenges, Asst. Prof. Santos, highlighted that the participants made the most of their experience as they were able to garner the achievement of “reaching to the quarterfinals.” Moreover, in a way, the SBDS moderator also shared that the delay back home “gave us an opportunity ng ilang oras lang paikot-ikot [around Cebu]. So ‘yun, magandang bonding time din ‘yun sa kanila.“
Along the way, Asst. Prof Santos expressed his “pride and confidence” toward the skills and training of the SBDS participants—moreso that even despite the time and effort extended in committing to the trainings “Proud ako sa kanila, hindi naman nila cinocompromise ‘yung studies nila,” he added.
Looking ahead, Baylon encouraged aspiring debaters to join the organization, regardless of their experience level, sayinh “If you really, really want to be a debater, just join, even if you do not have any debate experience, even if you are really shy. If you think you have something in you to prove, that’s enough motivation.”
(with Nityananda Dasi Y. Santos)