The Parliament: UPLB Debate Society

The Parliament: UPLB Debate Society is a duly recognized student organization of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Since its recognition in 2003, The Parliament has been continuously pursuing excellence as the only debate organization in UPLB, attaining exemplary accomplishments by fostering the culture of debating as an essential element in a university as prominent as UPLB and by excelling in debate tournaments both inside and outside the country.
History
Activities
As an active socio-civic organization, The Parliament: UPLB Debate Society has organized many activities inside and outside the university which aim for the holistic promotion of the art of debating. In 2006 to 2008, the organization hosted the University of the Philippines Intervarsity League (UP IV), where different units in the UP System namely, UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Baños, UP Baguio, UP Visayas and UP Mindanao, competed against each other in the British Parliamentary Debate Format for the league title. In 2009, the UP IV expanded as Luzon Intervarsity (Luzon IV), a debate championship open to all Luzon debate institutions. In 2010, the tournament had a total of more than 193 participants as it modified certain rules in participation by accommodating debaters from Visayas, Mindanao and other countries across Asia given that they have a debate partner in the team who comes from the Luzon region.
The Parliament also aims to strengthen the debate culture among high schools in the South Luzon region. In 2009-2011, the organization hosted the Southern Luzon Intervarsity Debate Encounter (SLIDE UP), a regional debate tournament and public speaking contest among different high schools in South Luzon. It provided a debate seminar and workshop to the high school students to prepare them for the tournament.
In the university, The Parliament conducted several debate seminars, workshops and competitions to introduce the Parliamentary Debate Format to its fellow UPLB students. In 2010, it hosted campus-based debate tournaments like Freshman Debate in cooperation with the University Student Council which stimulates critical analysis and involvement to freshman students regarding the socio-political issues inside and outside the university. In 2008 to 2010, the organization, in cooperation with the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, hosted Debatunggalian, a debate tournament in Asian Parliamentary Format which used Filipino language as a medium of argumentative discussions. In 2009, The Parliament, in cooperation with the Speech Communication Division of the Department of Humanities, held Ethos, a speech communication and debate seminar that promote critical thinking and language proficiency among UPLB student, where the organization performed a live exhibition debate.
Tournament History
Since its recognition, The Parliament: UPLB Debate Society has competed in numerous tournaments inside and outside the country. It joined national debate tournaments that are accredited by the Philippine Debate Union like the National Debate Championship (NDC) in the British Parliamentary Format in 2006 to 2010. In 2010, The Parliament reached the semifinals and grand finals of the 3rd Union Cup of the 12th NDC together with an adjudicator in the semifinals and grand finals of the Master's Cup. The national debate tournament in the Asians Parliamentary Format is called the Philippine Inter-collegiate Debate Championship (PIDC), formerly called the Inquirer Inter-Collegiate Debating Championship (IIDC), where The Parliament joined in 2004 to 2010. In 2005, the organization made it to the quarterfinals of the IIDC while in 2010, it reached the grand finals of the 1st ever Sinag Cup of PIDC up against the Ateneo Debate Varsity of Ateneo de Davao University.
Aside from national representation of the university, The Parliament has also competed in international debate tournaments. In 2008, it sent one team and two adjudicators to compete in the Asian Universities Debate Championship (AUDC), now called United Asian Debating Championship (UADC) since 2010, held at the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 2010, it competed in the Ateneo Intervarsity 2010 hosted by the Ateneo Debate Society at the Ateneo de Manila University where it reached the octofinals. The same year the organization made it to the semifinals of the 2nd Intramuros Intervarsity hosted by the Intramuros Debate Union. In 2011, The Parliament competed in Malaysia Debate Open 2011 held at the Multimedia University in Melaka, Malaysia.
The Parliament has also participated in a lot of regional and local debate tournaments in the country. In 2011, The Parliament made it to the grand finals of the De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde Intervarsities up against UP Debate Society of UP Diliman. In 2006, it also reached the grand finals of the 1st UP University of the Philippines Intervarsity League. The organization participated in the Manila Intervarsity hosted by UP Manila, where it qualified in the quarterfinals in 2011. In 2009 and 2010, it also had numerous breaks in the quarterfinals of the 1st and 2nd Luzon Intervarsity respectively. In 2010, The Parliament reached the semifinals of the 1st ever Xavier Cup, a South Luzon debate tournament hosted by the Ateneo de Naga University, where the Top 5 Best Speakers and Best Speaker of the Public Speaking, all came from the organization. In the same year, the organization was also invited to an invitational debate tournament in at the De La Salle University - Dasmariñas where it reached the semifinals.

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