PH Bags Two Awards in ASEAN Human Rights Youth Debate

Mr. Patrich Limpiado Lozano of the De La Salle University receives his best debater award from Thai Deputy Minister of Education H.E. M.L. Panadda Diskul during the AICHR Youth Debate on Human Rights 2017 at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand on 6 September 2017.

Ms. Marina Kathleen Labitag Lim of the De La Salle University receives her best debater award from Thai Deputy Minister of Education H.E. M.L. Panadda Diskul during the AICHR Youth Debate on Human Rights 2017 at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand on 6 September 2017.

Mr. Patrich Limpiado Lozano of the De La Salle University stresses a point during the AICHR Youth Debate on Human Rights 2017 at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand on 6 September 2017.

Ms. Marina Kathleen Labitag Lim of the De La Salle University articulates her stand during the AICHR Youth Debate on Human Rights 2017 at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand on 6 September 2017.

14 November 2017 - Two Philippine debaters from the De La Salle University (DLSU) took home Best Debater awards at the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Youth Debate on Human Rights 2017, which was held at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand on 6 September 2017.

Patrich Limpiado Lozano won by articulating that economic growth, and not human rights, must be the key goal of ASEAN development. For her part, Marina Kathleen Labitag Lim argued that citizens of ASEAN should not have the right to work in all Member States ASEAN.

Debaters from all 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS) participated, with no two debaters from a particular AMS competing on the same topic.

The other topics of the debate competition were: a) a quota system to include equal proportion of women to promote women’s rights should become mandatory; b) ASEAN should not establish a human rights court that can issue enforceable judgments; and c) environmental damage should be treated as a human rights violation.

Aside from Lim and Lozano, Lyssa Villa Ajiero also competed on the topic that ASEAN should not establish a human rights court that can issue enforceable judgments. Mikaela Maria Dominic Nepomuceno Zulueta served as an observer. Both debaters are also from DLSU.

This year’s edition of the AICHR Youth Debate served as AICHR’s Commemorative Activity for ASEAN’s 50^th Anniversary.  The Youth Debate’s overall theme was “50^th Anniversary of ASEAN: Forging Ahead Together Toward a Sustainable Community.”

Now on its fourth edition, the Youth Debate was first organized by AICHR Philippines in 2013. It was sponsored by the ASEAN-US Partnership for Good Governance, Equitable and Sustainable Development and Security (ASEAN-US PROGRESS). Next year’s edition will be held in Cambodia. END