A Monumental First: MGDS to host 16th Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship

“Monumental.”

This is how former MSU-GSC Debating Society (MGDS) President, Jefferson Quipit, aptly described the upcoming 16th Visayas-Mindanao Debate Championship (VMDC), set to be held at MSU-GSC on July 18-20.

© MGDS

This marks the first time MGDS will host this significant face-to-face debate event.

According to Quipit, the responsibility for the VMDC's success rests squarely on Angela Kirtana Candole, the incumbent MGDS president and the tournament's director.

“Having planned for months, we recognize the immense significance of this debate competition, particularly for a Debate Organization that has grown in Region 12 over just four years,” she stated.

Candole further emphasized the event's potential to broaden the appeal of debating. “Hosting VMDC presents an invaluable opportunity to bring debating culture closer to the grassroots, fostering the understanding that debating is truly a sport for everyone,” she added.

General Santos City last hosted a debate event in 2002, when Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU) organized the Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Championship (MPDC).

Currently, the first phase of registration for the Debate Championship is underway, concluding on May 1st, after which the participating schools will be announced.

According to the former president, MGDS was unable to participate in the 15th VMDC held in Cebu City last year due to financial constraints faced by the organization.

Despite this, Quipit conveyed his enthusiastic congratulations to the debaters for hosting the 16th VMDC.

“It’s overwhelming to witness the current generation of debaters at MSU-GSC hosting the 16th VMDC! This is a remarkable leap, and I am incredibly proud of them!” he expressed.