Showcasing dedication and commitment to the art of debate, the MSU-GSC Debate Society (MGDS) bagged multiple awards in their first-ever appearance at the 9th Mindanao Intervarsity (MIV) which was held last February 7-9.
MIV is a major debate tournament hosted by Xavier University, where it serves as a platform for growth, fostering engagement and skill development to prepare debaters for national competitions.
After missing the previous tourney, the team fought to make this year’s participation possible, with both debaters and adjudicators pushing their limits and eventually appearing in the said interscholastic competition.
Seith Andre Ortega, who was named the Novice Finals Best Speaker, pointed out that the camaraderie with their fellow contingents motivated them to push forward and give their best until the very end.
"I think it all comes down talaga to the collective commitment, especially for a tournament of this scale. I vividly remember the pagod that comes with the trainings every after class by 5:30 pm pati ang ups and downs we all faced in between,” he said.
The first-year Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) student, together with
Leonard Tucjayao, a fourth-year Political Science student, were also named the grand finalists of the said tourney.
“For me, ito kasi ang first ever grand finals experience ko in debate, so it gave me a tangible sense of growth I've achieved in the years I've been sa debating community. More importantly, for MGDS, it is a testament sa dedication ng organization despite the circumstances, and it definitely opens more opportunities to represent GenSan in larger debate arenas like MIV,”
Ortega stated on creating opportunities to fight in broader debate competitions.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Joy Zaldivar, who was hailed as one of the Novice Pre-Semifinalists, highlighted the resilience of MGDS, which was built from scratch just a few years ago.
“This is not an isolated case, and no matter what efforts we are building up, we are still hindered by a lot of factors. As our saying, reimagining worlds and realizing visions, together, it entails that we're not just here to debate but have a saying in the public discourse.” she said.
Zaldivar together with Chorena Grace Lorania, who was also named as the 9th best speaker, graced the former mentioned award.
"One thing I would note was the multiple trainings without the assurance of us really getting to the tournament. This was our first appearance of MIV. We can't really go home without an ROI. We wanted to go there with a bang, and also end with a bang,” Zaldivar emphasized the team's success stemmed from rigorous training, even when there's an uncertainty of making the tournament.
In addition, the other debaters who garnered prestigious accolades in the said debate cup were Antonio Mantahinay Jr. and Ramzel Delloro, who were both tied for 2nd Best Novice Speaker and also named Open Pre-Quarterfinalists.
On the other hand, in the debate adjudicators category, Angela Kirtana Candole, a fourth-year Political Science student, got the 8th Best Judge honors, and she was also the Open Semifinals Chair and in the Open Grand Finals panel.
Rolando Baisac Jr., who was one of the Novice Semifinals Panel and was the Open Pre-Quarterfinals chair, expressed that breaking in MIV was a fulfilling achievement, particularly given the stiff competition among both debaters and adjudicators.
"It was very fulfilling to break during MIV, especially because the judge pool at that time was very tight. Both the debate and judge pool were competitive. The competition was difficult. We had to conquer the MIV glass ceilings in order to get recognized,” Baisac Jr. stated.
The BSEd Bio student highlighted the experience was about more than just debating, it was about the people who made it happen.
In line with this, the other competing adjudicators were Achilles Peña, one of the Open Pre-Quarterfinals Panel; Angelo Buenavista, and Joash Dalimbang.
The other contestants who were also able to leave their mark and appreance in the said tourney were Rhyzel Faye Magisulan, Jaye Manan Victoriano, Jhersey Mae Guazo and Andrea Ysabelle Aban.
With this milestone, MGDS continues to establish itself as a formidable force, reinforcing its vision of reimagining worlds and realizing visions.
Comentarios