Victory Bound: MIDV Arachnids Rack Up National and International Wins

 by Maan Deuda

Members of the MSU-IIT Debate Varsity (MIDV) from the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) bagged multiple awards at the National Debate Championship (NDC) Hermosa 2024 in Zamboanga City (November 12–17), the virtual Shanghai Novice Debate Open (SNDO) International Tournament (November 16–17), and the Southern Philippines Open 2024.

A total of 16 CASS students have participated in these competitions, earning recognition on both national and international podiums. Their achievements included breaking team spots, individual speaker awards, and advancing to the semifinals and quarterfinals.

Khen Ivan Emerzon Gabatan, a third-year BA in Political Science student, secured the spot as the 8th Best Open Speaker in the SNDO International Tournament hosted by Eagle’s Speech, a nonprofit organization based in Shanghai, China. 

Gabatan, along with Nezrin Tambie, first-year BS Electrical Engineering, advanced as quarterfinalists and the 7th breaking team. “I didn’t expect to be recognized as one of the best speakers in that tournament,” he said. 

He expressed that the tournament was nerve-wracking for him because he was unfamiliar with international debate standards. During the competition, he also felt pressured by expectations because he was the only junior debater to compete. 

Moreover, he underscored the struggles that MIDV faced, particularly the lack of facilities, which made debating in online settings inconvenient. “During the quarterfinals, which was held on Sunday, since we were not allowed to enter the campus premises, we were forced to debate in a cafe,” Gabatan shared.

Randy Adriane Martin, a first-year BA in Political Science major, also competed in the same tournament, securing a spot as a semifinalist with his teammate Kenneth Paler, a fifth-year BS Mining Engineering student. 

“At that time, I wasn’t prepared, and I had already gone home to my province. To make things more complicated, my new partner, Kuya Kenneth, was also a first speaker. Since he was clearly the better first speaker and debater, I had to step out of my comfort zone and take on the role of the second speaker. This change was a major adjustment for me. Throughout the competition, I wasn’t only competing, but I was also learning,” Martin expressed.

Martin recounted the technical challenges he and his partner faced during the tournament, particularly because they were miles apart. A brownout on the first day also added considerable stress to the competition. He described debating in uncomfortable conditions with overheating devices and limited communication with his partner, restricted to the 15-minute preparation time due to technical issues.

Among the teams competing at the SNDO were Ayeesa Ali, a second-year BA English Language Studies student, and Maha Umpat, a second-year BS Biology (Animal Biology) student. The pair ranked as the 16th-breaking team, with Umpat securing the 6th Best Open Speaker title. Out of more than 220 speakers and 110 teams worldwide, MIDV accomplished a perfect contingent break, with three best speakers, including Gabatan, hailing from CASS.

Meanwhile, Jesciller Villaruz, a 3rd-year BA Political Science student along with Mark Joseua Socillo, a second-year BS in Psychology student, secured the spot as semifinalists at the National Debate Championship 2024 Union Cup held at the Western Mindanao State University in Zamboanga City.

“The journey itself was fun but it also had a lot of setbacks—it was seven rounds, it was excruciatingly tiring, and at the same time, it was hard to maintain composure. It’s hard to maintain your will at that point. Also, when you get zero points in a round, it’s really sad [but] at the same time, it gives me the drive to try again in the next round,” Villaruz shared.

He also emphasized that the national debate tournament, being one of the country’s major debate competitions, provided an excellent avenue to connect with and learn from other debaters from prestigious universities nationwide. 

A total of 6 MIDV teams were sent to the Union Cup including Villaruz and Socillo. The 17th-ranked team in the Philippines, comprised of Devlin Fritz Villanueva and Jayvee Bondoc of BS Philosophy (Applied Ethics) reached the octofinals in the open category, garnering the highest speaks for the Union Cup. 

At the same time, Franzyn Maryel Incon, a BS Psychology major, and Kathleen Anne Fumero, a BS Philosophy (Applied Ethics) major were the first reserved-breaking team for the Union Cup. Among the adjudicators competing were Bryan Alaxendar Open from BA Literary and Cultural Studies (BALCS), Saud Salic, Elritz Lauron, and Mark Angelo Gallardo, all contributing to MIDV’s overall wins during the tournament.

Streak on Sight

Meanwhile, MIDV also battled at the recently concluded 1st Southern Philippines Open 2024 hosted by Xavier University Debate Circle on November 23-24, 2024, online via Discord. 

Bagging the Open Grandfinals Championship and the 1st open-breaking team were Sitty Hedjarah Guro, an English Language Studies student, and Rey Badoc, a BS in Philosophy (Applied Ethics) major, and Maha Umpat, a BS in Biology (Animal Biology) student. 

Humphrey Aninao BSED Biology student, Jireh Maghinay studying BS Plant Biology, and Khen Ivan Emerzon Gabatan, BA Political Science gained the title as the open semifinalist and the 5th open-breaking team, with Gabatan bagging the 10th Best Open Speaker award. Shene Taer from Political Science, Haroun Mamalo studying BS in Information Technology, and Ayeesah Ali, a BA English Language Studies student bagged as Novice Grandfinalists and the 1st Novice Breaking Team with Mamalo hailed as the 5th Best Novice Speaker and 10th Best Open Speaker. 

Securing the spot as the Open Quarterfinalists and the 8th Open Breaking Team were Shane Villoria a BA English Language Studies student, Alliah Banglos, and Randy Martin, both from Political Science. 

Afidah Camar, and Edwin Culaba of Political Science along with Xandi Cartin of BSBA Business Economics also earned the title as the 1st Open Reserved Breaking Team with Camar and Culaba as the 3rd Best Open Speaker and as the 10th Best Open Speaker.

One of the competing teams was Tahira Asaali a BS in Computer Applications (Embedded Systems) student, Gregory Cabato, BS in Psychology, and Onayzah Balindong, a BS in Nursing. Balindong bagged as the 2nd Best Novice Speaker and 6th Best Open Speaker.

Hailed as the overall best adjudicator is Harvey Melendrez 2nd-year Master of Science in Material Science and Engineering. Mark Angelo Gallardo was also selected as the breaking adjudicator while Jayvee Bondoc was one of the Adjudication Core of the competition.  

Most recently, Bryan Alexander Open, a BA Literary and Cultural Studies student and the sole MIDV representative as an Invited Adjudicator earned the distinction of being selected as an Open Semi-Finals Panelist at the UT Mara Intervarsity 2024, hosted by the UT Mara Debating Society on November 23-24 via Discord and Zoom.