1.1 That the Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Union shall refer to the organization of recognized debate societies of all colleges, universities, and/or tertiary level institutions in all regions of Mindanao

1.2 That the Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Union Council is hereby established (hereinafter referred to as council.). Council shall refer to the convening body representing the Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Union participants in the present championships (see section 5).

2.1 That there shall be a competition which, for the purposes of this constitution, shall be named the Mindanao Parliamentary Debate Championships, hereafter referred to as the "MPDC".

2.2 That one competition shall be held in each semi-year, of which the schedule shall be set during the council meeting of the present Round.

2.3 That the language of the competition shall be English.

2.4 That every college, university and/or tertiary level institution in every Mindanao region has the right to participate in the MPDC.

3.1 That the purposes of the competition are as follows:

3.1.1 The free exchange of ideas in a forum comprising participants from Mindanao colleges and universities.

3.1.2 The encouragement and support of the regional contact and co-operation throughout Mindanao.

3.1.3 The venue to foster the spirit of dialogue and peace within Mindanao

3.2 That the objectives of the competition are as follows:

3.2.1 The promotion expansion and support of debating in English in Mindanao.

3.2.2 The projection of Mindanaoan debaters into all levels of debating. (international was deleted)

4.1 That the MPDU Council is required to meet at least once, during the period of each MPDC’s competition, and deal with all matters required by the delegates.

4.2 To perform the functions duties and responsibilities conferred upon it by the constitution.

4.3 That the MPDU council is required to identify through the bidding process a host for each semi-annual championship competition.

4.3.1 That in the instance of the absence of a bid, it is the responsibility of the council to appoint a school.

4.4 That the council is required to determine the sanctions, suspensions or other conditions, as deemed appropriate, in the following events:

4.4.1 When the host university or organization fails substantially in complying with the terms of its bid as accepted by Council in the year preceding its hosting of the MPDC.

4.4.2 When a debater, adjudicator or other representatives of a university or institution, commits or behave in a manner likely to endanger (to be quantified by a different committee) the competition, the running of the competition, or the host university or institution.

4.4.3 When a participating university or institution, or individual (s) representing a university or institution, break rules regarding qualification, eligibility, decorum or preparation for a debate.

4.5 "Sanctions, suspensions and/or other conditions" (as in 4.4) may range from (verbal warnings deleted) letters of complaint from council and addressed to societies and /or institutions represented by offenders, to disqualification (from rounds/competitions) or bans over numbers of years. These are at discretion of the council.

4.6 That the MPDU Council shall go into partnerships with organizations, of the government or otherwise, as may be deemed necessary for resources to ensure the success of the competition.

5.1 The MPDU’s Council shall consist of the following members:

5.1.1 The Chairperson, who is the convenor of the championships and selected upon the prerogative of the organization representing the Host University, or institution. The ‘chairperson’ to take office from the moment of the closing ceremony of the preceding competition until the time of handing over to the next host convenor at the conclusion of the competition he/she convenes.

5.1.2 Delegates, one from each university represented at the competition during which the council meeting is convened, and elected or institutions

5.1.3 A secretary appointed by the Chairperson, or by the organizing committed that the chairperson represents.

6.1Functions:

6.1.1 To convene, at least once, before the rounds of the present competition.

6.1.2 To read, discuss matters arising there from, and pass, minutes of council meeting (s) held during the previous round of the competition.

6.1.3 To appoint a host institution for the next round of the competition (see Schedule 2).

6.1.4 To decide on matters pertaining to the competition in progress.

6.1.5 To pursue matters pertaining to the expansion, support and facilitation of debating in Asia.

6.1.6 To perform all other functions determined and conferred upon it by the terms of this constitution and incidental to its existence.

7.1 To ensure that the respective round of the MPDC runs during his/her term of office.

7.2 To ensure a fair, equable and massive dissemination of information which shall be done at least two months before the competition, to all interested parties, regarding the round of the competition, which the chairperson’s institution is responsible for hosting.

7.3 To convene additional meetings of the council, as are deemed necessary by council, or as required under ‘extraordinary’ proceedings (see Section 11).

7.4 Within two months of the end of the Championship, the Outgoing Chairperson shall forward to the Incoming Chairperson a report summarizing his/her experience in the administration of the tournament. These shall include:

7.4.1 A complete mailing list used by the Chairperson during the course of the Round

7.4.2 A complete list of the teams which participated in the Round, which list shall include the names of the competitors.

7.4.3 Records of all rounds of the competition (Mock-Grand Final) and records of any other competitions (e.g. Public speaking) run during that round.

8.1 Taking minutes during all meetings of council.

8.2 Writing up such minutes as are properly taken and ensuring that a copy of these is passed to:

8.2.1 The Chairperson under which said secretary has served.

8.2.2 The incoming Chairperson and Secretary, within one calendar month of the finals of the current competition

8.2.3 Any delegate requesting a copy of the minutes after one calendar month has passed, following the finals of the competition. Such request to be made in writing, or by e-mail.

8.3 Giving due notice of the meetings: At least one month in advance of general meetings, held during the competition. At least 24 hours in advance of meetings held during the competition, as may be called in addition to general meetings, or as extraordinary meetings.

9.1 Every University represented at the current Round of the Championships shall be entitled to send a delegate to the meeting of the Council convened during that Championship.

9.2 Every delegate to the Council shall be entitled to cast one vote on every substantive motion placed before the Council.

9.3 Every substantive motion placed before the Council shall be decided by simple majority vote among the members present at the meeting, unless this motion represents a challenge to or change in this constitution. (see 9.5)

9.4 The Chairperson shall not vote on any substantive motion placed before the Council. If a decision cannot be reached, the chairperson can use his/her casting vote to carry or reject the motion.

9.5 Where there is placed before the Council a substantive motion which proposes an amendment to this Constitution, such a motion shall not be carried unless it gains the support of at least four-fifths (4/5) of delegates/ institutions represented during the current round of the competition.

9.6 Quorum for meetings of council should constitute at least fifty percent plus one (simple majority) of universities represented during the current round.

9.7 If the quorum is not met, the meeting is to be adjourned and rescheduled to another time within 24 hours of the scheduled start of the first meeting. If at this second meeting, the quorum is still not met, the meeting shall proceed without a quorum. However, in such a case, no amendments to the constitution may be discussed.

10.1 Competitors must be students enrolled on a bona fide undergraduate degree program in the college/university which they represent, on the last day of the term immediately preceding the Round in which they want to participate. On the day of registration, the competitors must present a certification from their respective administration proving such.

10.2 Competitors shall be recognized by the college/university debating society or equivalent, or in the absence of such a body, by the college/university administration and must be able to demonstrate their bona fides if called upon to do so by a member of the host organization

10.3 Composite teams may be created by the hosts out of individual participants as deemed necessary and appropriate. No composite team shall break. "Composite team" shall be defined for the purposes of this Constitution as meaning any team consisting of individuals not all attending the same university.

10.4 Teams or individuals from the host college/university will be permitted to debate

10.5 Definition of college, university and/or institution: For the purposes of this constitution and the organization of rounds of the competitions: a college/university/institution shall be defined as a single body awarding degrees (or their equivalent) and governed by a single administrative body headed by a chancellor and/ or Vice-chancellor (or similar). Individual faculty, colleges, schools, and/or campuses which do not have individually awarded degrees or separate administrative system may not participate as separate institution.

10.7 Host institution may accept the registration and participation of unqualified teams, but such team will not be permitted to break.

10.8 The number of teams representing a university or institution may or may not be ‘capped’ by the host institution. However, the maximum number of teams from an institution to be sent in an Asians format competition is five, while the British format will allow for 8 teams.

10.9 The number of teams representing a single institution which may break will be decided upon during the council meeting of the present competition.

10.10.Teams are required to adopt the n-1 rule for adjudicators for both the Asians and British format. Adjudicators are required to have the minimum requirements:

10.10.1 affiliated with the college/university as of present competition

10.10.2 must have knowledge on the Asians/British format of parliamentary debating

10.10.2 must have undergone trainings on adjudication within their institution

10.10.3 if an alumni, must have had participated in past debate tournaments not necessarily the MPDC’s.

10.11. Institutions who are unable to follow the rule for adjudicators shall have their excess teams considered as non-breaking. The teams which will be allowed to break will be identified on the basis of rankings.

10.12. The number of adjudicators passing the adjudication test shall have bearing on the number of teams which will be allowed to break. X+1 teams will be allowed to break where X is the number of adjudicators who passed the test. However, if this runs inconsistent with Section 10.9, the lower number of teams allowed to break will be followed.

11.1 The Chief Adjudicator must be from recognized debate institutions outside of Mindanao.

11.1.1 The host institution shall invite the chief adjudicator from either of the recognized debate institutions of the following universities: Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle University, University of the Philippines-Diliman, and University of Sto. Tomas.

11.1.2 In instances when such is not possible, recommendations from the aforementioned debate societies will be sought.

12.1 Delegates to the Council can request Special Meetings of the Council.

12.2 A request for such a meeting must be given in writing to the Secretary, and must hold:

12.2.1 The signatures of representatives from at least five colleges/universities.

12.2.2 The reason(s) for the meeting being called (Agenda).

13.1 Between successive Rounds of the Championships, the Council shall comprise representation of all those Universities which were present at the previously completed Round.

13.2 The Chairperson of the next Round of the Championship shall be the Chairperson of the council in the interim period, and shall take charge from the outgoing Chairperson immediately after the current championship is declared formally closed.

14.1 At the Council meeting held during a round of the Championships, the Council shall consider bids to host the next round of the Championship.

14.2 Notice of intent to bid should be submitted in writing. A bid shall state the University which intends to host the round, the dates of the round, and any other information deemed appropriate

15.1 The rules of the Championships will be as described in the Rules attached to this Constitution. Procedures for amendments to the Rules are identical to procedures for amendments to this Constitution.

16.1 Anything said by any debater in the course of a debate does not necessarily represent the debater’s personal beliefs, those of his/her university/institution, or those of his/her nation.

At a meeting of the MPDU Council, to be held during the semi-annual competition, any recognized participating university or institution of higher learning, may bid to host a subsequent round of the competition.

A "bid" should (but need not of necessity) consist of the following elements.

2a) A clear demonstration of the way(s) in which the potential host institution will support the competition in terms of finance, infrastructure, resources and logistics.

2b) Evidence of effort made, and intended, to attract external (to the potential host institution) support and sponsorship.

2c) A clear demonstration of the ability of the bidding group to plan, fabricate and successfully run the future competition and the continuity of such an organizing group.

2d) A draft schedule of the competitive and social program with intended dates and timings.

2e) A description of the competition’s theme, proposed social events and other ancillary programs.

2f) The ability of the potential host group or institution to ensure high standards of adjudication and debating during their round of the championship should they be chosen.

2g) The ability of the potential hosts, and their institution, to comply with constitutional requirements, debating rules and other regulations, as are laid out in the All-Asians constitution and its attendant schedules.

"Bids" shall be made during the last MPDU’s Council meeting, scheduled during a round of the semi-annual competition. The agenda of this meeting contain provision for such bids to be made.

Each bidding group (or institution) shall be given a maximum of 20 minutes to present their bid. Questions may then be addressed to the bidding group by any member of the floor, present during that meeting.

Prior notification of a bid should (but need not of necessity) be made to the current hosting organization at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting.

During the bid process, all members of institutions and/or groups intending to bid must withdraw from the meeting chamber until summoned to make their respective bid, respond to additional questions, or at the conclusion of voting.

Groups of institutions involved in bidding as potential hosts may not participate in the vote to select the future host at the meeting in which they have made their respective bid.

8.1 Voting shall be on the basis of one vote per institution represented at the respective All-Asians’ Council meeting.

8.2 Decision will be made on the basis of simple majority.

8.3 Proxy votes held by universities or institutions for those represented at the competition, but not during the respective meeting, may be counted, but only if the proxy held has been declared by the holding party at the opening of the meeting and written proof of a valid proxy provided at that time.

8.4 Proxy votes may not be held by representatives on behalf of bidding institutions and be used during the vote involving that institution’s bid.

8.5 A delegate may not hold, nor vote more than one proxy vote in addition to his/her own.

9.1 Pre-bids may be made a minimum of 2 tournaments in advance of the time a host group or institution intends to host the competition.

9.2 Such pre-bids will not exclude nor prevent other groups or institutions from making competing bids at subsequent meetings, nor will a pre-bid necessarily guarantee a group or institution a successful bid.

9.3 The pre-bid process is intended as a mechanism to better facilitate preparations to host competitions by groups or institutions requiring the additional time to set up their infrastructure and source financial backing and other means of support.

That the institution which won the bidding has the privilege of withdrawing its bid to host for at most one month. However, the said institution holds the responsibility of looking for the alternative host of the competition.

The Group or institution (hereinafter referred to as "the host institution") that is successful in bidding to stage the All-Asians must endeavor to comply with the terms accepted at the time the bid is confirmed by council.

11.1 That the host institution must present a written report on its preparations for and its hosting of the MPDC during the last meeting of council, scheduled during a round of the competition.

11.2 That the agenda of the last meeting of council, scheduled during a round of the competition, include provision for this report to be made. The report should include:

11.2a) A budget sheet and/or financial summary, indicating main areas of expenditure, registration receipts and conditions pertaining to sponsorship.

11.2b) an explanation for any significant changes to the terms of the bid confirmed during the previous round of the competition.

11.3c) any explanations for changes to, or disruptions in, the running of the current competition.

11.3 That the report is voted upon and passed into record, by process of simple majority.

That a host institution significantly failing to comply with the terms of its bid, and failing in its explanations to convince the council for such failure to comply (signified by the failure of the report to be voted into record) be penalized in the following manner:

12a) That a host institution whose report is not passed by council should be barred from hosting a future (or subsequent) round of the competition for a minimum of one (the next) to a maximum of five years.

12b) That the institution’s authorities be informed of the imposition of such a penalty, in writing, by members of council not affiliated to the institution thus barred.

That a host institution must make all records, minutes and listings available to the next host institution, on completion of each round of competition.

13a) These records to include:

i) Competition tabulation (preliminary, break and finals).

ii) Names of individuals and institutions represented.

iii) Results of adjudication seminars.

iv) Adjudicator pools or other categorizations.

v) Breaking adjudicators and matchings through finals’ series.

13b) The minutes to include:

i) Minutes of all meetings of council held during the round being hosted.

ii) Minutes of previous meetings passed into the host’s care.

13c) Listings to include:

i) All mailing lists for individuals, groups and institutions; both e-mail and otherwise.

That the authorities of the host institution be informed, in writing, by members of the council not affiliated to the host institution, of the successful running of the competition (signified by the report being passed by council) within one calendar month of the competition’s finals.)

That the host institution provide, at the end of each competition, one certificate of participation for each institution and an individual certificate of participation for all registered participants.