CASS Debaters Advance to Quarterfinals in Chancellor’s Cup

by Maan Deuda

With stellar performances, the CASS Debate teams made an impressive mark during the preliminary rounds of the PALAKASAN Chancellor’s Cup on April 28, securing a full break and propelling themselves straight into the quarterfinals.

With preliminaries spanning the entire day at CASS Rooms 110-115, teams advanced to this stage based on cumulative scores from all four preliminary rounds. The top-scoring teams secured their spots in the quarterfinals.

In the first was under the motion “THP a world where people are naturally Techno-Optimists”, CASS team B earned 2 points as the opening government (OG), while CASS team A secured 3 points as the opening opposition (OO), CEBA team A as the closing government with no points, and SWING A as the closing opposition with 1 point. In a different match under the same round and motion, CASS team C clashed as the opening opposition (OO) along with COE team A as the opening government (OG), CSM team B as the closing government (CG), and CSM team A as the closing opposition (CO). CASS team C fell short in this match, with COE team A gaining 3 points, followed by CSM team A with 2 points and CSM team B with 1 point.

Competition remained fierce as preliminaries continued in the second round under the motion: “You are a progressive Filipino local politician who had lost the 2022 elections by a large margin against a rival who comes from a known dynasty and has allegedly engaged in electoral fraud such as (but not limited to) vote buying. As you seek to run again in the 2025 elections, your rival has offered you the second highest position as a running mate. TH, as the progressive Filipino politician, W accept the offer...” CASS Team A, competing as the closing opposition (CO), secured 3 points. CASS Team B, in the role of the opening opposition (OO), earned 2 points, while CASS Team C, as the opening government (OG), also garnered 2 points.

Following this, in the third round, the competition continued to escalate with new thought-provoking motions, taking a fantastical turn with the motion “TH, as the reincarnator, W actively sabotage the relationship with the lover in the eighth life over continuing the fight against the higher entity.” All CASS teams were the closing government in their respective matches. Teams A, B, and C gained 1, 3, and 2 points respectively.

Set as a silent round with scores kept confidential, the fourth and last round for the preliminaries proceeded under the motion, “THBT the state should set national targets for how many percent women should be in management positions.”

At the dinner and socials night held at the University Mini Theater, announcements were made regarding total scores. All three CASS teams had secured a full break. CASS A was announced as the 2nd breaking team with 8 points and 604 speaker points, CASS B as the 5th breaking with 7 points and 591 speaker points, and CASS C with 5 points and 586 speaker points. Sixteen breaking teams were selected to proceed to the quarterfinals.

Sitty Hedjarah Guro, a fourth-year BA ELS student representing CASS from team C, shared her thoughts during preliminaries, expressing, “Overall, it’s fun considering that before the tournament, there were workshops done, and not only workshops but naa po’y cross-training sessions outside the workshops. Because of those workshops kay nawala na ang jitters or anxiousness ani na tournament…”

Guro also revealed that despite the workshops, participating in this year’s Chancellor’s Cup posed a challenge due to its timing amidst finals season, leaving her with little preparation time. Nevertheless, her passion for debate motivated her to join the competition. Guro emphasized that debating enhances critical thinking abilities and encourages young minds to engage in the sport. It is worth noting that Guro had previously represented CASS at the grand finals during last year’s Chancellor’s Cup alongside Jesciller Villaruz.

Meanwhile, Rachell Jane C. Erigbuagas, a BA History student and Guro’s partner in CASS team C, shared her initial apprehensions, stating, “At first, I had the guts na mu-backout sa CASS days pa lang because like feel nako di nako siya kaya, but again I have that high school dream na mu kuan [join] ug debate so nag pursue ko…”

Despite lacking any prior debate experience, Erigbuagas bravely entered this year’s Chancellor’s Cup, marking her debut in the competition. She admitted to facing challenges in balancing workshop sessions and academic responsibilities, particularly as a first-time debater grappling with the complexities of debate mechanisms.

However, Erigbuagas’ determination to fulfill her high school dream propelled her forward. She encourages young minds not to fear debating, emphasizing, “Yes, the struggle is real, the hardships are there but if you are inclined in that [aspect] bitaw, opt for debate […] don’t be scared [with the thoughts] nga ‘I’m not good at speaking’, ‘I’m not good at doing speeches’, ‘I’m not good with grammar’…”

Guro and Erigbuagas are part of the trio of duo teams from CASS that are set to advance in the quarterfinals. Following this stage, the semi-finals and grand finals will also take place on the same day as the quarterfinals.