Ateneo Debate Society dares Sen Tito Sotto to accept RH debate challenge
“One of Asia’s premier debating institutions today called on Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III to accept the debate challenge of Akbayan Youth Chairperson Leloy Claudio.
The Ateneo Debate Society (ADS) made this statement after Claudio and his group challenged Sotto to defend his statements against the Reproductive Health Bill, particularly the senator’s controversial statement trivializing women who die every day due to pregnancy-related causes.
“The ADS believes that Mr. Sotto should accept the offer issued by one of our alumni. If he’s confident in his ideas then he should be able to defend them,” said ADS President Job de Leon.
De Leon offered to host the debate in the Ateneo de Manila University, should Sotto accept.
“The ADS has vast experience in hosting debate tournaments and academic forums,” said de Leon. “And there will definitely be an audience eager to hear what the senator has to say.”
De Leon said the debate challenge aims to promote discourse and greater youth involvement.
“The Ateneo community and its students are invested in this critical piece of legislation. It would be a shame if Sotto passed on this opportunity to engage the academic community,” he said.
ADS said Claudio is one of the most decorated Asian debaters in history. The group said he is a three-time national champion, three-time Asian champion, and one of the few local debaters to advance in the World Universities Debate Championship.
Last Thursday, Akbayan youth challenged Sotto to a debate on the reproductive health bill. The youth group requested the lawmaker to refrain from “Iskul bukol” arguments and raise the level of discourse concerning the RH bill.
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Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado is a Content Strategist with over 16 years experience in blogging, content management, citizen advocacy and media literacy and over 26 years in web development. Otherwise known as @MomBlogger on social media, she believes in making a difference in the lives of her children by advocating social change for social good. She is a co-founder and a member of the editorial board of Blog Watch . She is a resource speaker on media literacy, social media , blogging, digital citizenship, good governance, transparency, parenting, women’s rights and wellness, and cyber safety. Her personal blogs such as aboutmyrecovery.com (parenting) , pinoyfoodblog.com (recipes), techiegadgets.com (gadgets) and benguetarabica.coffee keep her busy outside of Blog Watch. Disclosure: I am an advocate. I am NOT neutral. I will NOT give social media mileage to members of political clans, epal, a previous candidate for the same position and those I believe are a waste of taxpayers' money. I do not support or belong to any political party. I was part of accredited media covering the Office of the Vice President and Leni Robredo as she ran as a presidential aspirant in the 2022 National and local elections. On August 5, 2021, YouTube announced that I was selected as one of 50 Program participants of its Creator Program for Independent Journalists She was a Senior Consultant for ALL media engagements for the PCOO-led Committee on Media Affairs & Strategic Communications (CMASC) under the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council from January 4 -July 5, 2017. Having been an ASEAN advocate since 2011, she has written extensively about the benefits of the ASEAN community and as a region of opportunities on Blog Watch and aboutmyrecovery.com. Organization affiliation includes Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation Updated June 6, 2022