Alcañeses & Reyes are champs of AIV debate tilt; Reyes is Best Speaker of the Finals
For the second year in a row, Ateneo de Manila High School Debaters have brought home the championship in the high school category of the Ateneo Intervarsity (AIV) debate competition. The team of Luigi Alcañeses (12-A) and Renz Reyes (12-A) successfully opposed the motion, “This house would break up America’s major political parties” at the AIV finals held in the Loyola Schools campus last August 7, 2016. During the championship, Alcañeses and Reyes won on a unanimous decision before a panel of five judges. In addition, Renz Reyes was named Best Speaker of the Finals, also on a unanimous decision. Alcañeses won AIV 2015 with Hans Gonzalez (Grade 11 HUMMS Hoyos), making this the first time a high school has won the AIV high school category for two consecutive years.
The Ateneo Debaters made history in another way during the competition. The first runner up was the team of Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) student Julia Ocoma of Grade 11 GA Favre and Ateneo Junior High School (AJHS) Debaters Captain Matti Tan (10-A)—the first ever co-ed team fielded by the Ateneo Debaters in an inter-school competition. Along with the team of Reyes and Alcañeses, they defeated two other teams from Xavier School in the final. Judges praised the Ateneo Debaters for successfully integrating female students such as Ocoma into the team, and also leading them to strive for competitive excellence.
The Ateneo Intervarsity (AIV) is one of the largest and most prestigious debate championships in the country, open to high school, college, and graduate students alike. This year, the Ateneo Debate Society hosted AIV 2016 from August 6-7 at the Loyola Schools Campus. Close to two hundred debaters and adjudicators participated in this year’s edition.
At the close of AIV 2016, Reyes was also named Second Overall Best Novice Speaker, and Hans Gonzalez as the Third Best. ASHS boys Alcañeses and Paulo Valencia (12-N) tied as the 5th Best Novice Speakers of the tournament.
Gonzalez and Valencia did not qualify for the high school category as they were partnered with alumni and coaches of the Ateneo High School. They were instead made to compete in the collegiate category and made it to the quarterfinal stage of the eliminations—an impressive feat for high school students.
Other Ateneo Debaters who participated in the competition were AJHS students Johann Claveria (10-A), Matthew Varona (10-A), and ASHS student Red Nadela (12-A), who all competed as adjudicators.
The team was accompanied at AIV by coaches and alumni including Miguel Ventura, Henry Fernando, Tres Yap, Josiah Encinas, and Rafa Lapira.
The ASHS Debaters are moderated by Mrs. Fe U. De Jesus, while the AJHS Debaters are moderated by Mr. Joel Falgui.
The team is thankful for the triumph this early in the season and looks to continue performing at a high level in coming tournaments.
