SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR THE DEBATE

(The opposing groups must agree on the topic they want to use)
1. Should the government implement an anti-teen pregnancy bill to regulate
access to reproductive health resources for minors?

2. Should social media sites be responsible for filtering out fake news stories,
or does doing so infringe on free speech?

3. Is premarital sex socially acceptable in the Philippines, or does it conflict

with traditional cultural values?"
4. Should Vice President Sara Duterte be held accountable for the use of
confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs), considering the significant
concerns about transparency and legality in their allocation and
expenditure?

5. To what extent has the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong"

Marcos Jr. effectively addressed governance issues related to corruption
and human rights concerns?

6. To what extent do the PISA results indicate a "grave crisis" in the

Philippine education system, and can they be used to assess broader
systemic issues in education?

GUIDELINES FOR THE DEBATE

I. Preparation for Debating

 Research Thoroughly: Gather comprehensive information from a
variety of sources such as libraries, newspapers, magazines, and
conversations with knowledgeable individuals.
 Understand Both Sides: Familiarize yourself with arguments for and
against the motion to effectively engage with opposing views and
prepare for counterarguments.
 Anticipate Challenges: Prepare for potential questions and
challenges that may arise from the opposition to strengthen your
position.
 Structure Arguments Persuasively: Organize your points logically
and coherently.
 Engage in Active Listening: Pay close attention to the arguments
presented by others to refine your debating skills.

II. The Debate Process

 Team Composition: A typical debate includes two teams (affirmative
and negative), each with three speakers.
 Appoint a Chairperson: Designate someone to oversee the debate
proceedings.
 Time Management: Allocate equal time for each team’s speeches,
typically five minutes per speaker.
 Speaking Order: Alternate speaking between teams, beginning with
the affirmative and then the negative.
 Open Floor Contributions: After preparing speeches, allow audience
members to ask questions or provide comments within a specified time
limit (e.g., one to three minutes).
 Rebuttal Period: Teams should engage in rebuttal after the open floor
discussion, allowing brief consultation before presenting responses.
The negative team speaks first, followed by the affirmative.
III. Important Rules of Debate

 The first speaker for the affirmative side who is sitting next to the
chairperson begins. Then, as indicated by the arrows in the diagram,
the first speaker for the negative side responds. In this way, the
speakers for both sides speak in turn. When the last speaker for the
negative side has spoken, the second round of the debate begins this
time in reverse order.
 After the first speaker for the affirmative side has spoken, a speaker
from the negative team (but not their first speaker) has the last word.
 The order of speakers must not be changed.
 Each speaker has a maximum time of one minute. The chairperson
checks the time carefully. He/ she gives a sign when the speaker has
10 seconds to go, and after speaking time is over, the speaker may
finish his/her sentence and must then stop. Spare time may not be
transferred to another speaker.
 Interrupting a speaker is forbidden.
 The audience must not participate in the debate.
 After the debate, the audience has five minutes to share their
impressions and opinions. Then they vote by a show of hands.
 In the vote, yes and no votes are counted. The majority wins the vote.

IV. Points of Order and Points of Information

 Point of Order: Members can signal a breach of rules (e.g., exceeding
speaking time or lack of evidence) during the debate.
Members of the house (anyone involved in the debate) may interrupt a
speaker by raising their hands and indicating that they have a ‘point of
order’. This means that they wish to point out that one of the rules of
debate is being broken (e.g. the speaker is speaking overtime, or does
not have evidence to support his or her point).
 Point of Information:
Members may request to ask questions or provide information to the
currently speaking individual, who may choose to accept or decline this
input.
Members may also raise their hands with a ‘point of information’ (a
question or some information they have to offer). The speaker may
choose to allow the member to speak but does not have to.
V. Judging the Debate
 Assessment Criteria: Judges evaluate the overall quality of the
debate, considering the clarity, effectiveness, and persuasiveness of
each team’s arguments.
 Voting Option: The decision may also be made by audience vote.

VI. Seating arrangement

The chairperson sits at the head of the table. The two debating parties are
seated opposite each other. The audience sits a short distance away from the
table and should be able to see both parties. So if necessary, additional seats
 for the audience should be arranged in several rows rather than behind one
of the debating parties.

VII. Order of speakers

The arrows indicate the order of speakers in the first round of the debate. In
the second round, the order of speakers is simply reversed, until the first
speaker for the affirmative side has spoken. Then a speaker for the negative
side has the last word; the team may choose a member to give this
statement – but not their first speaker, as this would give him/her a block of
two minutes speaking time, which would be unfair on the other team.
VIII. Tips for debating speakers
1. With the exception of the first speaker for the affirmative side, spend
approximately the first half of your statement to rebut an argument of the
other side and then present a new point.
2. (For the first speakers.) State your motion – say what decision you want to
see.
3. When you prepare for the debate, first brainstorm ideas. Then decide in
which order you want to present your points, and assign them to a
speaker. Begin and finish with a particularly strong and impressive point
(see student handout 8.2).
4. You can repeat or vary a key argument to “hammer it home”.
5. The last speakers should sum up their side’s argument, highlighting three
or four points. What should your audience keep in mind after the debate?
If the debate is about a decision to be taken, make clear what your appeal
to the audience is when they vote after the debate.
6. Speak freely. Don’t read your statement from any notes, but establish eye
contact with your opponents and with the audience.
7. Treat your opponents with respect. Never insult a speaker, but work on his
arguments.
IX. Tips for the audience
Before the debate, try to anticipate the arguments both sides might, or should,
present. This gives you a framework of reference when listening to the debate.
1. Take notes of the arguments presented by either side – in one sentence if
possible.
2. Link arguments with rebuttals by lines or arrows, and enter a comment.
Which argument con-vinced you? (Steps 2 and 3 can be shared between
several listeners.)
3. Indicate which argument particularly impressed you.
4. After the debate, share your results in the group. Then vote on the
motions presented by the two parties.
X. The first chairperson’s task – chairing the debate
The chairperson conducts the debate and makes sure that the debaters
observe the rules of debating and treat each other fairly and with respect.
The chairperson is neutral and doesn’t tend towards one of the debating
teams.
In particular, the chairperson is the time keeper. No speaker must speak
longer than one minute. In practice this means that after one minute is over,
the speaker may finish his or her last sentence and then must stop. If
necessary, the chairperson politely but firmly interrupts the speaker and
gives the floor to the next speaker of the other team.
Equipment
 A stopwatch or watch that accurately shows the seconds. Mobile phones offer
a stopwatch function.
 A note sheet and pencil.
 A yellow and red piece of paper or cardboard, A7 size.
 Additional student handouts 8.2, 8.5.
The chairperson’s task during the debate
1. He/she opens the debate:
o Welcome of the teams, the audience, and the news reporters.

o Brief outline of the debate, without any details that might help one
side.
o Reminder for the teams: fair play, observation of the rules.

o Announcement of time-taking rules: after 50 seconds, the chairperson

gives a sign.
o After one minute, the chairperson stops the speaker – to ensure fair
play.
2. During the debate:
o The chairperson listens to the debate silently.

o The chairperson monitors the speaking time and gives the 50-second
sign. (Quite often, this all the chairperson has to do.)
o The chairperson intervenes if speakers go over their speaking time of
one minute.
o The chairperson intervenes if the debaters or the audience interrupt a
speaker in any way.
 o In very serious cases of bad or unfair behaviour, the chairperson shows
the yellow or/and red card to a speaker. The red card means that a
speaker must leave the debate.
3. After the debate:
o The chairperson announces that the debate is closed.

o The chairperson thanks the debaters and the audience.

The chairperson’s role after the debate

After the debate, the audience has a brief follow-up discussion on the debate (five
minutes) and then votes on which side presented the more convincing arguments.
The chairperson’s second task – chairing the audience’s vote and discussion
1. The follow-up discussion
o The chairperson announces that the audience now has five minutes
during which to exchange their views on the debate. The seats are
rearranged in a circle or big semicircle to allow all the students to face
each other.
o Each member of the audience has made notes during the debate and
thought about the question as to which group has performed more
convincingly. The chairperson asks for a show of hands – a test vote.
o Then students with different views take the floor. The chairperson asks
them to exchange their opinions very much in the same way as the
debaters did, as time is scarce.
o After five minutes the chairperson ends the discussion.

2. The vote
o The chairperson announces the vote. He/she repeats the issue and the
question to be voted on: which team convinced you more – the
affirmative or the negative team? No more discussion is allowed at this
point. The chairperson asks a student to note the results of the voting
on the board or flipchart.
o The chairperson first asks the students who are more convinced by the
affirmative side to raise their hands. He/she counts them and then
conducts the vote on the negative side in the same way.
o Finally, students who abstain – who have not voted for one of the
teams – are called and counted.
o The chairperson reads out the result of the vote but does not comment
on it. He/she thanks the audience for their discussion and vote and
concludes the session.