The Lyceum Debate Society (LDS) is a duly-recognized university-wide student organization of the Lyceum of the Philippines University under the supervision and guidance of the Student Affairs Office (SAO). Founded in 1987, the LDS is the varsity debate organization of the Lyceum. It is one of the oldest student organization of its kind in the Philippines. As a varsity organization, it represents t
he Lyceum in regional, national and international debate tournaments. As a debate organization, it is committed to the promotion of the art of parliamentary debating among Filipino students. As a youth organization, it aims to raise the level of awareness and to encourage critical thinking among the youth in general and the Lyceans in particular. Activities
Primarily, the LDS conducts regular debate trainings among its varsity members in order to prepare them for debate tournaments. The LDS also hosts intra-Lyceum debate tournaments and, together with the Intramuros Debate Union (IDU), the Intramuros International Intervarsities (IIIV), an annual debate tournament that brings together the best debaters and adjudicators from the Philippines and other Asian countries. True to its commitment to encouraging critical thinking among the students of LPU, the LDS regularly conducts symposia and lecture-fora on pressing social, economic, and political issues. It has brought experts, leaders, senatorial candidates and other luminaries to the Lyceum in pursuit of this. Also, the LPU relies on the LDS to conduct the yearly Miting de Avance and Presidential Debate during the University’s student elections.
