Ateneo takes home the Sun Life Cup

After seven grueling preliminary and four challenging break rounds, Ateneo de Manila University's Team C took the championship for the PIDC 2008: The Sun Life Cup. The trio of Kip Oebanda, Pauline Gairanod, and Shiveena Parmanand faced off against Ateneo de Manila's Team A, composed of Miko Biscocho, Gica Mangahas, and Stephanie Co. The two teams debated under the motion This House believes that the mass migration of Filipino workers has eroded nationalism. With a 5-2 split from the adjudicators, the win went to ADMU C. The team's Prime Minister and Reply Speaker, Kip Oebanda, was recognized as the Best Speaker of the Finals.

Other awards include: Best Over-all Speaker won by Claire Jiao of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and Best Adjudicator won by Wyndale Wong of Ateneo de Manila. UP Diliman's Team F, composed of Norman Cualteros, Joel Santos and Jennie Uy took home the Best Rookie Team award. Gian Carlo Dapul from the Philippine Science High School won the right to represent the Philippines in the English Speaking Union International Public Speaking Competition in London.

PIDC 2008: The Sun Life Cup was successfully organized by the University of the Philippines Debate Society. The tournament drew over 300 debaters, adjudicators, and volunteers, including a contingent from Universiti Teknologi Mara in Malaysia. With its theme, "Bring Your Idealism to the Game", PIDC 2008: The Sun Life Cup served as a rallying point for discourse for Filipino youth, bringing debate, adjudication, and public speaking together to make a change in society.

The tournament was co-presented with Sun Life Financial, and iIts official media partners are the International Herald Tribune and Fudge Magazine. The event was also held together with Boysen, Universal Robina Corporation, Nescafe 3-in-1, and Ginebra San Miguel, with the special participation of the English Speaking Union-Philippines.