AHS Debaters Win Championship, Sweep Awards at Balboa Cup 2015!
Ateneo de Manila High School debaters Renz Reyes (11-A), Luigi Alcañeses (11-A), and Hans Gonzalez (10-M) of AHS Team A won the Balboa Cup on November 15, 2015. They won the debate championship after defeating PAREF Southridge A in the grand final, in which they defended the affirmative side of the motion, “This house believes in a right to die.” By arguing that state-assisted suicide was both legitimate and beneficial to individuals and society, AHS A took the final win. Renz Reyes was also named Best Speaker of the Finals.
Ateneo High School also set a new tournament record in the 21-year history of the Balboa Cup by getting the highest number of Top Ten Speaker Awards with 8 members receiving medals. Paulo Valencia (11-N) was the 1st Best Speaker of the Tournament, Renz Reyes (11-A) was the 2nd Best Speaker, Luigi Alcañeses (11-A) and Carlos Tiu (11-A) tied as the 3rd Best Speakers, Hans Gonzalez (10-M) and Drico Ramiro (11-A) tied as the 5th Best Speakers, and JC Cruz (11-L) and Ervin Grana (11-L) tied as the 10th Best Speakers of the tournament. 
Team AHS D, comprised of Paulo Valencia (11-N), Drico Ramiro (11-A), and Carlos Tiu (11-A) reached the semifinals of the tournament. They also broke into the elimination rounds as the top-seeded team, with the highest cumulative team and speaker points throughout the tournament. Eventual champions AHS A were seeded second. Team AHS B was seeded third. AHS B was comprised of Nicky Solis (11-B), Ervin Grana (11-L), and Red Nadela (11-A). The team reached the tournament quarterfinals. Finally, team AHS C, comprised of JC Cruz (11-L), Lorenzo Lazaro (11-A), and Sam Zabat (10-G) also broke into the final debate rounds, but could not compete in the octofinals due to one team member’s personal reasons.
AHS has won the Balboa Cup twice prior to this year’s victory. It first won in 2004 (Miko Biscocho, Adrian Mundin, and Claude Gomez) and most recently in 2011 (Javier Pablo, Anton Sison, and Miguel Ramirez).
The Ateneo Debaters extend their thanks to the Office of Student Activities and the Ateneo High School community for its unwavering support. It also wishes to thank its sponsors and coaches Isaac Lee, Miguel Ventura, and Rafa Lapira for their mentorship and guidance. The team moves forward in the school year preparing for upcoming tournaments.
The Balboa Cup was held on October 17 and November 14-15, 2015 in De La Salle Zobel High School. The competition was presented by the Children’s Museum Library Inc (CMLI). The Balboa Cup used the Asian Parliamentary Format, wherein close to 200 participants competed through four preliminary rounds, and four elimination rounds to determine the overall champion.
