DEBATE MOTIONS
The motions below are only arranged based on what round they will be used. The
motion for the final round is included in the list of motions under round two (2) onwards. All
motions are related to the theme “GREENNOVATION: Catalyzing the Dawn for
Sustainable Economic Development”. The motions below were checked and certified by
the judges for the event. Should there be any questions regarding the motions, you may
contact us immediately to avoid confusion on Jan 30. All debaters are advised to study for
all the motions because they will only be given a limited time to prepare on the event itself.
*THBT - This House Believes That
*THW- This House Will
Round one (1):
1. THW make indigenous communities exempt from laws pertaining to environmental
protection.
2. THBT Increasing corporate taxes are more effective in the drive for reducing carbon
emissions compared to regulatory controls.
3. THBT Increasing corporate taxation will aid in persuading corporations to shift to the use
of green energy.
4. THBT the government should use taxation to dissuade from the use of diesel-fueled
cars.
Round two (2) onwards:
1: THBT countries should deny foreign companies access to their natural resources.
2: THBT government decisions concerning the environment should be independent of the
will of the electorate.
3: This House would mandate the purchase of insurance in disaster prone areas.
4. THBT rural areas should keep their traditional agricultural roles.
Good luck!
DEBATE COMPETITION
Format:
The Eco-No-Mix Debate Contest shall utilize a Modified Asian Parliamentary Format
Basic Structure of the Modified Asian Parliamentary Format:
1. There shall be two sides represented by one (1) team each- Government and Opposition. The Government side shall propose and defend the motion while the Opposition will seek to refute and negate it. Each team will be composed of three (3) speakers.
2. On the day of the event, teams will be given 15 minutes to prepare after their respective sides have been revealed. (Motions will be given to the participants a week before the event but their sides will be announced on the day of the competition.)
3. The debate will consist of six (6) constructive speeches in this particular order: Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Government Whip, and Opposition Whip, and two (2) reply speeches: Opposition Reply followed by Government Reply. Each speaker will be allotted a maximum of 6 minutes for their constructive speeches and only 2 minutes for their reply speeches. Failure to abide by the time limit will result in point deduction.
4. Reply speeches are given by the first or second speaker from each side. The speeches should focus on giving a biased judgment as to why people should support their position and will be given out first by the Opposition followed by the Government who will close the debate. No new arguments should be presented in reply speeches.
5. During the constructive speeches, Point of Information (POI) may be raised by the opposing side after the first minute up to the fifth minute. A POI should not last more than 20 seconds. POI’s may be refused or accepted by the speaker. No POI’s will be allowed during reply speeches.
6. During the constructive speeches, a clap shall signify the one (1) minute mark and another on the 5th minute. Two claps will signify the 6th minute mark when the speaker must stop to avoid point deduction.
7. Only pen and paper are allowed inside the competition area. Books, gadgets, food are strictly prohibited.
Speaker Roles in the Modified Asian Parliamentary Format:
1. The Prime Minister (PM) opens the debate-defines the motion, presents the proposal, outlines the team allocation of arguments, and delivers his arguments.
2. The Leader of Opposition (LO) shows the difference of the Opposition stand from the stand of the Government side- this is called the clash, and rebuts the Prime Minister’s arguments. He also outlines the team allocation of arguments, and delivers his arguments.
3. The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) rebuts the LO’s arguments and delivers the second portion of their arguments.
4. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition (DLO) rebuts the DPM’s arguments and delivers the second portion of their arguments.
5. The Government Whip (GW)) rebut the arguments of the opposition side and rebuild, defend and strengthen the arguments of their side’s constructive speakers.
6. The Opposition Whip (OW) provides an issue-based rebuttal of the Government’s and summarizes the case of the opposition.
7. The Opposition and Government reply speakers should provide a biased judgment as to why people should support their stand in the debate.
Adjudication in the Modified Asian Parliamentary Format:
1. The standards for judging will be based from the following criteria:
Revised Criteria Sheet for Debate Competition
For Constructive Speeches:
69-70 = No Speech at all
71-72 = Did not fulfill speaker roles, Arguments are very thin
73-74 = Below average speech, Fulfilled speaker roles, Arguments lacks substance
75 = Average speech, Fulfilled speaker roles, Arguments have enough analysis and substantiation
76-77 = Above average speech, Fulfilled speaker roles, Arguments have good analysis and substantiation
78-80 = Godly speech, flawless
For Reply Speeches:
Same scoring system as constructive speeches divided by 2
for example: Average Speech = 75/2 = 37.5
2. The adjudicators of the Eco-No-Mix 2012 competition will be qualified members of the UP Debate Society (UPDS) and other invited credible guests. Each debate room will be composed of a panel of adjudicators with three (3) of members and a single chairperson or a single adjudicator (during the 1st round).
3. The Panel of adjudicators’ role is to:
a. Decide which team has won the debate. (Based on the criteria)
b. Deliver an oral adjudication or explanation of the decision (Describe the important arguments presented throughout the debate and elaborate on their strengths and weaknesses) and
c. Provide constructive feedback (Comments on what the debaters should improve one/ Commendation for a debater’s strong point and how he/she can develop it more)
4. Each panel will be given a maximum of ten (10) minutes to deliberate on the verdict. If consensus is not reached, the panel will decide based on a majority vote. If the Chair’s verdict did not agree with the two other members of the panel, then he will ask another member of the panel to deliver the oral adjudication.
5. The Panel will be given a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes to deliver oral adjudication.
6. Disqualifications are the prerogative of the panel and will be deliberated with the project coordinator.
Debate Motions:
1. The motions will be related to the theme of the event
2. Motions for all the three rounds will be released a week before the competition.
Debate Rounds:
1. There will be three (3) rounds of debate from 1:00-4:00pm on January 30, 2012.
2. The competition will observe a single elimination system. Only the winning team can advance to the next round. If a team is disqualified for some reason then a team will be given a default win and will advance to the next round.
3. The champion, best speaker, and best debater will be awarded at the end of the event.
Registration:
1. The debate can only accommodate 8 teams or 24 debaters. Registration will be done on a first-come, first-served basis facilitated by the UP OBEM. The first eight schools to confirm their intent of joining the competition and to submit the registration forms are the ones to be included in the official list of contestants.
2. A School can send only one team for the debate contest.
3. The debate will be facilitated by UP OBEM in cooperation with the UP Debate Society.
4. Registration fee for the debate contest will be Php 120 per team for public schools and Php 150 per team for private schools.
5. The debate contest is open all year levels preferably those who have an experience in participating debate contests.