by Gabriel Billones Jr.
The MSU-IIT Debate Varsity Teams A and B outclassed the competition at the 5th Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship 2012 hosted by the Cebu Normal University, Cebu City last July 26-30.
Team A composed of Mara Nanaman (Faculty, English Department) and Ara Reyna Mamon (Electrical Engineering graduate) staged a strong comeback this season to surge to the semi-finals. Nanaman was judged 5th Best Speaker and Mamon 7th.
Reynaldo Plaza Jr. bagged the 6th best adjudicator award for the tournament.
Team B composed of Calvin Penaco (AB English) and Gil Dulon (BS Chemical Engineering) qualified for the Grand Finals and broke fifth place in the elimination rounds of the tournament. The Penaco-Dulon team already won the 23rd Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Championship February last year in Davao City.
For the third time, the MSU-IIT dominated the competition; it has been a finalist in the past seasons. Nanaman and Mamon won the 3rd Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship 2010 which was held in Silliman University, Dumaguete City.
The MSU-IIT Debate Varsity competes next in the 26th Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Championship which will be hosted by Ateneo de Davao University on August 30 to September 2, 2012.