MESSAGE FROM THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

Long before microphones, podiums, and Discord calls, our ancestors told stories around fires. They passed on wisdom through epics and chants, through creatures that defied explanation and heroes who defied odds.

From the legendary Bathala watching over the skies to the mystical Maria Makiling guarding the mountains, to the fearsome Aswang that tested our courage and the wise Bakunawa whose hunger reminded us of balance — our folklore has always been more than fantasy. It is our heritage, our worldview, and our earliest form of argument and meaning-making.

They say that debate is an exercise in storytelling. Every motion is a narrative waiting to unfold – a clash of values, perspectives, and characters, told through the voices of those brave enough to speak. They are more than just topics, they are myths to be interpreted, retold, and reborn in the minds of us storytellers.

But this tournament commemorates more than legends of old — it celebrates a legend who walked among us, whose story was written not in myth, but in memory. With the introduction of the Marvin Parma Cup, we honor the person who kindled the embers of our union and turned it into a blazing fire of purpose. The man, the myth, the legend who dared to dream when others doubted, and who worked tirelessly to turn those dreams into reality.

Not every tale has a happy ending. But that does not make it any less powerful, or any less worth remembering. We remember, retell, and rebuild, to give those stories new life.

Let the legends debate. Let the stories live again.

John Ashton O. Javier

Tournament Director