Ateneo HS Debaters place second at IDeA Invitational; Rafa Lapira (3A) is Best Speaker!

The Ateneo Debaters recently competed in the first major interschool invitational of the school year, the IDeA 1 Xavier Invitational Championship. The Interscholastic Debate Association (IDeA) is a conglomeration of high schools from Metro Manila with debate varsity teams held in the British Parliamentary format. Last 14-15 September 2013, Xavier School hosted the first of three IDeA invitationals.

Team AHS B, comprised of Rafa Lapira (3A) and Adrian Padilla (3J) broke into the elimination rounds as the highest seeded Ateneo team, and eventually reached the finals of the competition. They debated the Affirmative side of the motion, “This house regrets schools that cater to ethnicity.” While Immaculate Conception Academy A went home with the championship, AHS B was named first runner-up in the finals where four teams competed.

AHS D, consisting of Poch Kalagayan (3A) and Miguel Guerrero (3A) reached the semifinals of the tournament, while AHS A, comprised of Miguel Ventura ( 4A) and Martin Abis (4B) reached the quarterfinals. AHS C, represented by Tres Yap (3B) and Derrick Ampil (3L), missed the elimination rounds by the smallest of margins. The team had enough team points to qualify, but came up 1.5 points short in terms of aggregate individual speaker points. Yet all Ateneo teams successfully competed remarkably well.

Ateneo High School went home with the most individual awards as well. Rafa Lapira was named as the sole First Best Speaker of the Tournament. Martin Abis and Adrian Padilla tied as the Fifth Best Speakers, and Poch Kalagayan ranked as the Tenth Best Speaker. This puts the Ateneo High School Debaters at a comfortable position to qualify for the largest IDeA Championship—IDeA Grands—which will be held at the end of the year. In this tournament, only the top teams (i.e. Ateneo A,B or Immaculate Conception A, B, etc.) will qualify for the grand championship, and only the top performing individual debaters will be named among the Top Ten Speakers of the Year.

The moderator of the Ateneo Debaters is Mrs. Fe U. de Jesus of the English Department. The team was coached and prepared by Mr. Mahar Mangahas, Mr. Henry Fernando, and Ms. Inah Robles.