Salonga volunteers reap awards in Grand Law Debate
February 25, 2009
In a grand slam win by Silliman University College of Law over Ateneo
de Manila Law school, two scholars from the Dr. Jovito Salonga Center
for Law and Development reaped the Best Debater and Best Speaker
awards in the Grand Law Debate held last February 21, 2009 at the
Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium.
Freshman student Donna Ametyst Bernardo was awarded Best Debater
while junior student Ma. Zusabel R. Digaum got the Best Speaker award
in the modified Oregon-Oxford format used during the debate. Both
winners are recipients of the Rolando and Josefa del Carmen research
assistance scholarship of the Salonga Center this year. Digaum was an
Isagani Villanueva scholar last school year and has been a volunteer
of the Salonga Center since her first year.
The debate focused on the proposition, “Resolved: That the
Reproductive Health Bill (House Bill No. 5043) Be Enacted Into Law,”
with Silliman University taking the affirmative side and the AdMU
taking the negative side.The winners and the participants were lauded
by the Board of Judges, headed by Justice Amy Lazaro of the Court of
Appeals 20th Division.
The Best Rebuttal Speaker award went to sophomore student Joshua
Francisco Ablong from the SU Law Debate team. Jian Wasawas, Ramon
Antonio Ruperto (lead researcher) and Elizabeth Karla Aguilan (team
manager) complete the SU team. Ruperto and Aguilan are also volunteers
of the Salonga Center.
The Grand Law Debate is an annual intellectual engagement sponsored
by the Oratorical and Debate Club (ORADEC) of the SU College of Law.
This year’s event was spearheaded by its President, Terrence Anton
Callao, another Salonga Center scholar and volunteer.