The Ateneo de Manila University is the world’s top debater this year.
The Quezon City-based institutions debating team won the top prize in the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) held in Madrid, Spain.
The Ateneo debaters bested over 100 teams from all over the world, bringing the Philippines its first ever feat in the international debating tournament.
The Ateneo team, consisting of Applied Mathematics students David Africa and Toby Leung, prevailed over contenders from Bulgaria’s Sofia University, Israel’s Tel Aviv University, and Princeton University in the United States during the grand finals.
They argued over the philosophical belief Ubuntu “that asserts that people’s identities should be shaped by, and their obligations should primarily owed to, their communities.”
The Ateneo team also beat other international institutions during the nine elimination rounds as well as in other break rounds.
In a Facebook post, Loyola Schools vice president Maria Luz Vilches congratulated the Ateneo Debate Society, particularly Africa and Leung, for winning the WUDC 2023.
“A great way to start the New Year!” she said.
This year’s WUDC was conducted from December 27, 2022 to January 4, 2023. Last year’s champions came from the BRAC University in Bangladesh.