Philippines enters World Universities Debating Championship grand finals for the first time

The Philippines has entered the grand finals of the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) for the very first time in history.

Four students from the Ateneo de Manila University led the victory and will represent the country in one of the world's largest debating competitions.

Prior to advancing to the grand finals, the Ateneo 1 Team, composed of Ignacio Villareal and Mikko Vitug, won second place in the Open Category with 24 out of 27 points, according to a Facebook post by Ateneo on Wednesday.

It's considered as "the highest break any Philippine institution in WUDC history and the highest number any Asian institution has achieved," the prestigious university said.

Meanwhile, the Ateneo 2 Team, composed of David Africa and Luigi Alcañeses, placed 14th in the Open Category with 19 out of 27 points.

The two teams from Ateneo are set to battle against speakers from Zagred and the London School of Economics on Wednesday at 9 p.m.

WUDC, a renowned international student debating tournament, is an academic debate tournament that follows the British Parliamentary Debate format of four teams of two people in each debate. — LA, GMA News