Debatable
Episodes
Persuasion and Framing in Debates
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of debatable, I discuss the linguistic considerations to make a debate speech more persuasive. It isn't enough to be logical and ...
On Protests: Reframing Debate as a Form of Resistance
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A repost of a talk given during the Kontra Korap Cup Elective Sessions held last September 27, 2025!
Let's talk about Technofeudalism
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a little rant about my recent experiences living in an internet reliant on clouds, servers, and subscription payments that never seem ...
Arguments Against Political Dynasties
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
vote wisely
An Interview with Walden Bello: Writing, Activism, and Global Battlefields
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, I sit down with Walden Bello: one of the most vocal critics of power dynamics and political issues in the Philippines a...
Reading is a Conversation
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For this short episode of Debatable, Nina shares what she has been reading, how she incorporates reading into her life, as well as the different ways ...
Prep Steps: A Review
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Six years ago, Debatable launched the first ever episode on the skill of preparing for debates. Six years, 100+ episodes, five tournaments, and many m...
Pathfinding: A Framework to Understanding Debates
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, Nina tries out vlogging on the podcast, talks about how she has been dissecting debates recently, and discusses some of the books sh...
How to Start Over in Debate
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable is back! In the spirit of revivals and starting anew, this episode is all about Nina's personal checklist and guidebook for training, review...
119. Debatable Open Finals - Philippines feat. Gab Pacaño
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are proud to present the last Post-Debate Analysis of our Debatable Open series! The Open Grand Finals of our event was all about different issues ...
118. Debatable Open 2024 Semifinals - Religion feat. Jill Aycardo
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the Novice Finals and Open Semifinals of Debatable Open 2024, we talk to Jill Aycardo for the motion theme: RELIGION! Motion 1: [4:26] In religi...
117. Debatable Open 2024 Quarterfinals - Labor feat. Tengku Omar
04 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For quarterfinals and novice semifinals, we had the LABOR/DEVELOPMENT set courtesy of Tengku Omar! Omar is a Human Resources (HR) professional and is ...
116. Debatable Open 2024 Octofinals - Gender feat. Lia Snyder
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For Open Octofinals and Novice Quarterfinals, we had the FEMINISM/GENDER set courtesy of Lia Snyder! Listen to the discussions we have in our latest P...
115. Debatable Open Round 4 - IR feat. James Cachola
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We understand that the fourth round, being about INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, was especially tough for many of you. Likewise, we think that learning is es...
114. Debatable Open Round 3 - Education feat. Akeem Fabila
27 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the third post-debate analysis for Debatable Open 2024, we talk about the EDUCATION motion set, featuring the insights of the renowned educator Si...
113. Debatable Open Round 2 - Media feat. Charlie Vitug
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this post debate analysis, we join award winning filmmaker Charlie Vitug to discuss the ethics behind Court Shows, reporting on politicians' pr...
112. Debatable Open Round 1 - Environment feat. Riv Aquino
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nina and environmental science major Riv Aquino delve into the intersections of environmental advocacy, corporate responsibility, and consumer behavio...
111. Workers will be displaced by AI. What are we doing about it?
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, we talk about the recently filed House Bill 9448, also known as The Protection of Labor Against Artificial Intelligence Automation B...
110. Where did the Christmas Spirit Go?: Celebrations, Capital, and Colonialism
24 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Holidays! For this episode, we rant about how Christmas has evolved through the years, and how people have grown alongside it.
109. Missing Links (A Debatable Game)
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How did the Geneva Convention lead video games to update themselves?How did one man's foggy bathroom lead to the marriage of thousands of people?How d...
108. How are Law Debates Different
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, we talk about the intersection between the world of debate and the world of law. We discuss what makes law debates different, what i...
107. Coaching New Debaters
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you structure your first sessions with your new recruits? How do you make teaching the debate format fun instead of frustrating? What's the sci...
106. Derusting
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For our comeback episode, we talk about derusting—the act of getting back into a rhythm, shaking off the dust, and starting over again. We discuss h...
Debatable Open 2022 - Finals: PH (With Albert Pagunsan)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Semis: Finance (With Marina Lim)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Novice Finals: Media (With Bea Cuizon)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Quarters: Art (With Charlie Vitug)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Octos: Feminism (With Mary Valiente)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Round 4: International Relations (With Miggy Sulit)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Round 3: Health (With Raffy Perez)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Round 2: Econ (With Zoe Madriaga)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable Open 2022 - Round 1: Education (With Vicky Barcelon)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
104. Election Debates (with Miguel Enriquez)
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do election debates still matter?
103. BBM Tiktoks and the Politics of Nostalgia
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kyle spent 6 months in pro-BBM tiktok and would like to talk to you about how they weaponize nostalgia!
102. Reparations for Historical Wrongs
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Debatable, we talk about how to run arguments about giving reparations for historical wrongs, taking an interest in Black History M...
101. Human Rights 101
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We know that we have human rights, but where do they come from and how are they enforced? In this episode, Nina talks to Kyle's group in his Human Rig...
Episode 100: Meet the Debatabeans!
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We celebrate our 100th episode by talking about the people behind your hosts-- our team, the Debatabeans! You can learn a lot about people by learning...
Episode 99: Our Favorite 2021 Debate Motions
31 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2021 was... A year— not quite normal, but also not as not-normal as 2020. One of the changes we saw was the continued rise of online tournaments. Wi...
Episode 98: The Invention of Consumerist Christmas
25 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with another Holiday Special! This time, we talk about the origins of Christmas, and how it has evolved into the event we love (or hate) to...
Episode 97: Are you the Main Character of Your Life?
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, we explore the Finals motion of Mindanao Intervarsity 2021 which is about the Main Character Syndrome! In popular cultu...
Episode 96: Solastalgia (Climate change + Mental Health)
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Solastalgia describes psychological trauma brought about by climate change. In this episode, we talk about how the climate crisis impacts mental healt...
Episode 95: Pharmally Scandal, Afghan Refugee Crisis, Texas‘ Abortion Ban & MORE
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we talk about a startup CEO facing trial for fraud, new developments on the Afghan refugee crisis, the "resetting" of US-Israel relations, ...
Episode 94: The Philosophy of Climate Change Denial
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change skeptics have accumulated a lot of different arguments over the years with the common goal of making people doubt the role of man in th...
Episode 93: Taliban's Rise, Fall, and Resurgence
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this matterloading session, we discuss the top stories of the week. We focus heavily on the situation unfolding in Afghanistan. Join us as we unra...
Episode 92: COVID-19 Variants
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, we discuss the mutations of the COVID-19 virus, and what that means for all of us now and in the future.
Episode 91: Belo's "Pandemic Effect," Where DOH's P67B Went, How the Environment's Doing & MORE
14 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this matterloading session, we tackle the recent Belo Ad scandal, the misused 67 billion pesos, the new leadership in Iran, as well as Sudan’s h...
Episode 90: Pro-Wrestling is Debatable, Actually.
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Debatable issues in the pro-wrestling industry and John Cena have at least two things in common: one, you can't see them; two, you actually can, you j...
Episode 89: The Exploitation of Whang Od, Why COVAX is failing, Afghan Refugees, & More
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We have a lot to cover this week! We tried our best to make the stories featured this week reflect a bunch of different fields. We have stories about ...
Episode 88: Competition Economics (with Miguel Ventura)
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We interview Venti about why competition policy matters and how firms can abuse their dominance at the expense of consumer welfare!
Episode 87: The PH's First Olympic Gold, The SONA, China's Courting of the Taliban, and more!
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this matterloading session, we recap the week by looking at all the important events that caught all our attentions! We discuss the South Korean va...
Episode 86: Framing
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk about how we can set priorities in a debate! Learn about the art of framing as well as different frames you can use. Phase...
Episode 85: #Tumindig, Duterte's Immunity Ploy, Olympic Anti-Sex Beds, and MORE
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we talk about the Indian COVID Crisis and the politics of blame, how climate change caused flash flooding in Europe, why Rodrigo Duterte ca...
Episode 84: Should We Abolish Internet Anonymity?
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Idris Elba was in the news recently for proposing that everyone should verify their identities before using social media to prevent people from using ...
Episode 83: Should We Really Make Cynicism Mainstream? (with Papat Lozano)
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The theme for the grand finals of this year's Debatable Intervarsity is Arts and Culture! This motion deals with cynicism, an attitude characterized...
Episode 82: Should the US Cooperate With China to Get Solar Power? (with Ashley Dejarme)
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The theme for the open semi-final of this year's Debatable IV is international relations. On April 21, 2021, the New York Times published an article t...
Episode 81: Would We Be Better Off With A Collective Unconscious? (with Miko Bombeo)
11 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The theme for Debatable IV's novice and junior finals is philosophy! The nature vs nurture debate is a classic one in psychology and philosophy. The q...
Episode 80: Should Trans People Stop Aspiring for "Cis-Passing Privilege"? (with Hez Casasola)
10 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The quarterfinals motion for this year's Debatable IV is about gender! Many trans people find their appearance a point of scrutiny in the public. All ...
Episode 79: Should Prosecutors File Criminal Cases If There's Still Reasonable Doubt?(with Jess Falcis)
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
TW: Mentions of murder and rape; The theme for Debatable IV's open octofinals is Sociolegal! It is said that due process is nothing more, and nothing ...
Episode 78: Should We Stop Setting Ultra-low Interest Rates During Recessions? (with Nicky Solis)
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The theme for round 4 of this year's Debatable IV is economics! We are living in the middle of a recession because of the pandemic. One of the ways th...
Episode 77: Should We Prioritize Funding Research of Minority Scientists? (with RJ Lim)
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The theme for Round 3 of Debatable IV is Science! The past couple of years have been defined by the importance of creating and communicating scientifi...
Episode 76: Should Filipino Athletes Exchange Citizenship for Opportunities Abroad? (with Akeem Fabila)
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The second round of Debatable IV 2021 is about the Philippines (and sports, too!). Last March 2021, the Filipino-born chess super-grandmaster Wesle...
Episode 75: Should Schools in Post-Conflict States Stop Instilling Nationalism? (with Mikkel Neri)
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The theme of Debatable IV 2021's first round is education! When we were in primary and secondary school, we would have to do the flag ceremony every m...
Episode 74: Rainbow Capitalism
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To wrap up this Pride Month, we talk about Rainbow Capitalism! We discuss what it is, what it entails, as well as the issues and merits that go into t...
Episode 73: Carceral Feminism and Abolitionist Feminism (with Hezron Casasola)
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to our dear friend Hezron about what carceral feminism and abolitionist feminism is. We discuss the pros and cons to the risi...
Episode 72: Rights of Nature and the Philosophy of Environmentalism
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk about legal personhood being granted to bodies of nature, about anthropocentrism and ecocentrism, and about biodiversity. We ...
Episode 71: Intersections between LGBT Experiences and Mental Health (with Nori Dequito Matsuzaki)
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, we talk to Nori to discuss the different mental health struggles faced by the LGBT community. We discuss gender dysphor...
Episode 70: Representation in Debate (with Miko Bombeo)
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For Pride Month 2021, we're happy to announce that all our episodes will feature the insights of members of the LGBT community, through the writing an...
Episode 69: Sucking
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nice.
Episode 68: Redtagging, the Law, and You
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk about redtagging with Atty. Ross Tugade. We spend a lot of time discussing redtagging from the point of view of international ...
Episode 67: Taylor Swift's Rerecordings - Look What They Made Her Do
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor Swift's experiences with Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records revived a much older question: must artists always own their work? In this episo...
Episode 66: Labor Day 2021, 37k Starting Salaries, and Wage Justice
02 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
May 1 is celebrated in the Philippines as labor day! In this episode of Debatable, we discuss some of the problems that our laborers have been facing....
Episode 65: Holy Week and the Pandemic
04 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, we talk about the issues surrounding the ban on mass gatherings during the Holy Week. We talk about the separation of c...
Episode 64: Vaccine Hesitancy
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A recent Pulse Asia poll revealed that 61% of Filipinos do not want to get any COVID-19 vaccine. In contrast, only 16% of Filipinos want to get vaccin...
Episode 63: Debating K-pop (ft. Najwa)
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Unless you've been living under a rock, you'd know just how big k-pop has gotten. There have been so many debates recently about k-pop, but we don't p...
Episode 62: What Do Curfew Do?
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, we discuss the recently reinstated curfew here in the Philippines. We talk about the benefits and harms of curfew, what...
Episode 61: Feminism Through the Waves
13 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we celebrate (belatedly) this year's International Women's Day by discussing how feminism has evolved as a movement and the issues fa...
Episode 60: Hustle Culture
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, we talk about that #grind and #hustle. Join us as we discuss all the ways hustle culture has changed our society for th...
Episode 59: Forgiveness
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, the question of whether forgiveness is proper is debatable. In this episode, we talk about what forgiveness is, how it affects both you and...
Episode 58: Understanding the Language of Debate
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 58 is for the people who want to debate but feel intimidated by the fancy-sounding terms that debaters use. We talk about how language ...
Episode 57: Is Love Worth It?
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Valentine's Day, society celebrates love! But here on Debatable, we're still undecided on the topic of love. In this episode, we ask the question: ...
Episode 56: What it's Like Debating 37 Tournaments Online (feat. Bea Legaspi)
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, we talk to UPDS member Bea Legaspi about her experiences with online debating. She has done around 36 tournaments by th...
Episode 55: Our Experiences with Online Debating
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, we talk about the online debate experiences we found memorable. Listen as we talk about what it was like debating, judging, adjcorin...
Episode 54: Debatable Open - International Relations with Giano Libot
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
3:31 - Motion 1: Last June 2020 PM Boris Johnson announced the merger of the Department for International Development (DfID) into the Foreign and Comm...
Episode 53: Debatable Open Finals - Philippines with Albert Pagunsan
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
5:40 - Motion 1: The labor export policy is the export of the country's labor force to foreign countries. The Philippines started the massive export o...
Episode 52: Debatable Open Semifinals - Education with Bolo Pascual
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
4:00 - Motion 1: THBT schools should actively encourage children to question authority. 11:51 - Motion 2: Traditional education is defined as teacher-...
Episode 51: Debatable Open Quarterfinals - Philosophy with Miguel Ventura
16 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
6:23 - Motion 1: TH prefers a life where one is fully content but does not aspire for more over a life where one continually aspires without certainty...
Episode 50: Debatable Open Octofinals - Gender with René Gandeza
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
4:30 - Motion 1: On October 15, 2020, Col. Angela Rejano has been named Chief of Malabon Police, and the first female police chief in the history of t...
Episode 49: Debatable Open R4 - Economics with Luigi Alcañeses
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
4:20 - Motion 1: THBT developing countries should pursue greater economic integration with one another in regional blocs and trading agreements as opp...
Episode 48: Debatable Open R3 - Science with Joey Manzano
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2:45 - Motion 1: “Information Deficit Model” (IDM) assumes that the public needs more and better information. In contrast the “contextual model”...
Episode 47: Debatable Open R2 - Sociolegal with Karlo Antonio
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
6:00 - Motion 1: THW prohibit all financial settlements in environmental lawsuits. 20:53 - Motion 2: In response to racially motivated police violence...
Episode 46: Debatable Open R1 - Media with Kitty Albert
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
3:11 - Motion 1: Absolute neutrality means equal weight to all events, opinion and arguments regardless of what side they're from. THBT all news platf...
Episode 45: Anarchy
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This 5th of November, let's spend the time to gain a better understanding of the history behind this date, the significance of Guy Fawkes, and the arg...
Episode 44: The Politics of Horror
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this Halloween Special, we discuss the politics of horror, and have a long talk about the movie tropes we like and dislike! Listen to us talk abou...
Episode 43: Prepping Debatable Open
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of Debatable, we talk about a new project: an online tournament called Debatable Open! We go into a deep dive of the various plans we...
Episode 42: What We'd Tell Our Novice Selves
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, we discuss our past struggles with debate, how we overcame them, what has changed in debating over the past few years, and what advi...
Episode 41: Is Exposure Ever Good Payment for Artists?
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we interview three musicians for this episode of Debatable! Our topic is the idea of using exposure as payment for artists and whether it's...
Episode 40: To Be or Not to Be Born
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, we look back at our experience debating in the online tournament: Bicol Debate Festival. Specifically, we discuss the Finals topic a...
Episode 39: Adjudication Part 2
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For part 2 of our adjudication discussion, we interview Justin Guda on how they deliberate during tournaments, as well as prepare for rounds. In this ...
Episode 38: Adjudication Part 1
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode, we deal with the complexities of adjudication and give our personal thoughts and insights about it. For part 1, we talk about the ba...
Episode 37: Genocide
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most important concepts in history is sadly also one of the most misunderstood. For this episode, we discuss what genocide is, how it has o...