Cebuano student tops Asian debating tournament

Jacques Ian David Estola, a 20-year-old student from Cebu, was crowned champion along with his teammates in the Mixed Team Tournament of the first Asian Youth Forum 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand on May 26.

 

Estola, of the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT)- Debate Society won the event with Kajal Kadmiya (Nepal) and Suzan, who formed Team Jacques’ Angels.

 

“I’m like an angel. And I’m proud of my angels. It feels like my angels brought me to heaven,” Estola said in a statement.

 

The topic that the debaters tackled was “State should not use labor export as a major economic strategy.” Team Jacques’ Angels presented the negative side while their competitor, Team Why Not, tackled the affirmative side.

 

Meanwhile, Estola's fellow officers of the CIT-Debate Society also received citations in the same event:

 

“The slots for the top six speakers of the 1st Asian Mixed Debate Tournament were taken by participants from Pakistan and the Philippines,” the statement read.

 

The four-day event, which was organized by the International Debate Education Association, was participated by some 200 debaters from 22 countries across Asia.

 

Last year, CIT-Debate Society members received citations in the Kenyalang Debate Open held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. - Rouchelle Dinglasan, VVP, GMA News