Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU law debaters bag top speaker awards in nat’l CHR debate tourney

By Ian Paul Villanueva

Three MMSU College of Law (COL) student debaters secured overall best speaker awards as their team advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the 5th Inter-Law School Human Rights Debate Tournament of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) held from October 17 to 19 in Quezon City.

The team of third-year COL students Rex Antonius Morales, Brent Chrestien Derson Lao, and Santher Dale Caliw-caliw navigated a tough preliminary round, finishing with a 2-2 win-loss record. They secured victories against the University of Makati and San Beda University, while facing tough matchups against Saint Louis University and another San Beda team.

The MMSU delegation proved their mettle against other debaters as they earned the 9th breaking spot among 24 teams from 15 law schools across the country, with all three making it to the top 10 overall best speakers: Morales (3rd), Lao (6th), and Caliw-caliw (10th).

The formidable performance of the team marks an important milestone for their organization, MMSU Debate And Moot Court Advocacy Group (DAMAG), as it made the university's debut appearance at the annual tournament a resounding success.

"Going into the tournament, I had jumpy nerves and pessimistic thoughts," Morales shared. "But when I got a taste of debating, something shifted inside, and all I wanted was to win for our school, for Dean Corpuz, for my family and friends so I can make them proud."

Morales reflected on the potential for the university's future competitive endeavors. "It shows that we can do more, achieve more, and succeed more with a bit of support that some other schools have."

The MMSU delegation competed upon the encouragement of COL Dean, Atty. Brian Jay Corpuz, and trained under the supervision of COL faculty members Atty. Eric Karl Nicholas Aguilar and Atty. Vwxyz Dascil. They were also supported by fourth-year law student Ms. Camille Lazaga.

Organized by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in observance of the National Human Rights Consciousness Week, the national competition provided a platform for Filipino law students to engage in meaningful discourse on contemporary human rights issues, strengthening their critical thinking, research, and public speaking skills.