CPA team clinches championship at 2nd PLM Ethics Bowl 2026

The College of Public Administration (CPA) debate team was hailed as the champion in the recently concluded 2nd PLM Ethics Bowl 2026, Feb. 6

The winning team, composed of Jahna Par, Adiel Maggay, Khairia Gabrielle Macapundag, and Mikaela Frances Merza, secured the title under the guidance of Prof. Allan Jay Natividad.

Securing second place was a team from the PLM Speech and Debate Society (SPADES), also from CPA, composed of Mabel Salazar, Seth Siojo, Micaela Marzol, and Renalita Lyn Villanueva, under Prof. Jennifer Monje. Another SPADES team, composed of Crisha Nicole Ocumen, Drew Basadre, Mhark Angel Carpio, and Shiki Frialde, also under Prof. Monje, placed third.

Mikaela Frances Merza, Jahna Par, Seth Siojo, and Khairia Gabrielle Macapundag won Best Presenter awards, qualifying them for the upcoming South Manila Educational Consortium (SMEC) Ethics Bowl.

However, back-to-back winners Merza and Par, who represented the university at last year’s SMEC Ethics Bowl, can no longer proceed and will pass their slots to other candidates as per competition guidelines.

A total of six teams, each composed of four students, participated in this year’s PLM Ethics Bowl with the theme “Spotlighting Values in Global Ethics: Toward Achieving Sustainable Development.” Participants engaged in ethical discourse, applying frameworks and theories to contemporary issues. 

The competition was spearheaded by Prof. Ferdinand Soledad, Chairperson of the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities (DSSH), attended by CHASS Dean Prof. Luningning Galindez, Assoc. Dean Prof. Cecil Sabordo, and other faculty members. Prof. Bernardo Ramos, Prof. Herminilito Luna, and Prof. Julius Tutor served as the competition’s judges.