ASIAN PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE MOTIONS

POLITICS

1) TH supports Federalism
2) TH supports the secessionist Bangsamoro
3) THBT strong dictatorship is better than weak democracy
4) TH celebrates the war on drugs
5) THBT democratic states should make descendants of deposed dictators recognize or apologize for the
wrongs committed by the dictatorship before they can run for elective positions
6) THW sever diplomatic ties with the USA
7) THBT red is better than yellow

MINORITIES

1) THBT sexually provocative female celebrities who publicly identify as feminists harm the movement
2) THW allow children who have reached the age of majority to sue their parents for religious indoctrination
3) THBT womens magazines (e.g. Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire) are harmful to the empowerment of women
4) THW pay mothers to stay at home
5) THBT beauty pageants hurt the feminist movement

SOCIO-LEGAL

1) THW allow members of the armed forces to form labor unions

2) THW allow society to pardon political crimes
3) In states where prostitution is legal, THW subsidize sexual services for the disabled
4) THBT democratic states should make descendants of deposed dictators recognize or apologize for the
wrongs committed by the dictatorship before they can run for elective positions
5) THW reinstitute death penalty in the Philippines
6) THW abolish congress
7) THW criminalize online trolling
8) THW criminalize fake news websites
9) THW ban PUVs 10 years and older
10) In criminal trials, THW prefer to have a jury system

POP CULTURE

1) THBT Harry Potter has done more harm than good

2) THW take a stand against Disneys whitewashing
3) THW impose a minimum age for celebrities
4) THW ban fast-food advertising

a. Yes (61% said they should ban) (Should Junk Food Advertising 2013).
- junk food is unhealthy and ads are enticing our children causing skyrocketing obesity rates
- hard to educate kids when they are being bombarded by persuasive messages to eat these unhealthy foods
- kids see enough of fast food they cant walk anywhere without seeing at least two fast food restaurants
- sponsoring sports with junk food is sending the wrong message that being active will compensate for not eating
well
- kids watch these food ads then pester parents to buy these products until they give in
- children are vulnerable and easily influenced and should not be advertised to
- all these ads do is glorify unhealthiness
No (39% said they should not ban) (Should Junk Food Advertising 2013).
- no true legal grounds to support it, everyone has the right to choose what they eat and eating junk food is a life
choice that should not be shamed
- could hurt the industry and all its employees
- several causes for obesity- banning will not stop the problem
- no one really pays attention to commercials anyway
- corporations have the right to purchase time slots to advertise their products
- up to parents on what their kids watch and what their kids eat
- Free market economy, soda and fries are not illegal products

No Would businesses (TV stations and fast food restaurants) be effected negatively?
 "Junk food companies" would still be allowed to advertise, just not during children's programs.

Many schools are trying to phase out "fast food" and "sodas" but many are worried that sales will sink considerably. Many
schools have opened new snack bars that serve health foods, but some schools are still having trouble phasing out junk food.

Does junk food advertising contribute to obesity problems?

Yes

Children are swayed easily by advertisements to consume junk food. Most children if they are convinced by an advertisement will
want to get the product, in this case, junk food. Eating junk food causes obesity and television advertising during children's programs will
just convince innocent children that junk food is good. Stopping these advertisements will help obesity and lower children's intake of
unhealthy foods.

Is it sensible to aim junk food advertising at children?

A child is more easily susceptible to the wiles of advertisers who seek to inundate them with images of junk food. Dr. David
McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, is calling on Canadian politicians to address the country's growing obesity rate by
banning junk food advertising to children under 13.
In an interview with Canwest News Service today, McKeown said it's important to exert influence on what children are eating because
dietary patterns established early in life tend to persist.
"Most of the food and beverages advertised heavily to children are poor in nutrients and high in calories," he said. "It's not the kind of
food that children should be eating to lay the foundation for health both in childhood and adulthood." Article: Canada urged to ban
junk food ads aimed at kids by: Andrew Duffy
Not only are the children more likely to consume the foods they see on television and on the Internet, this consumption fosters habits
that they will carry into adulthood.

5) THW ban child performers

SCIENCE

1) THBT the government should ban GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) research

Scientists genetically engineer seeds for many reasons. For example, they sometimes make changes designed to

increase a plants:

a. resistance to insects

b. tolerance to herbicides

c. tolerance for heat, cold, or drought

d. crop yield

Potential cons of GM foods

Allergies

Food allergies are a growing problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food allergies in
children under 18 years of age have increased; from 3.4 percent between 1997 and 1999 to 5.1 percent between 2009 and 2011.

Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can resist antibiotics, making them hard to kill. According to the CDC, antibiotic-resistant germs infect two million
people each year. Those infections kill at least 23,000 people per year.

Cancer

In 2013, the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology retracted a paper that linked the herbicide Roundup and Roundup-tolerant GM corn to cancer
and premature death in rats. Due to concerns about the paper, the journals editor reviewed the researchers raw data and the peer-review process.
They found the researchers had used too few rats, the specific strain of rats was prone to cancer, and the results were inconclusive.

e.
2)
3) THBT there should be a ban on the mining in the province of Palawan
4) THBT there should be a ban on coal-fired power plants

Pros
Abundant supply, concentrated in industrialized countries (US, Russia, China, India).
Relatively inexpensive.
Continuous power. Good utilization. High load factor.
Substantial existing infrastructure. Mature industry.
Can be made low carbon and clean with CCS and various scrubbers.
Can be converted to a liquid or a gas, which burn cleaner.
Clean coal technology is currently being used in China.
Relatively low capital investment (compared to gas or nuclear).
Cons
Coal is nonrenewable. There is a finite supply.
Coal contains the most CO2 per BTU, the largest contributor to global warming.
Severe environmental, social and health and safety impacts of coal mining.
Devastation of environment around coal mines.
High cost of transporting coal to centralized power plants.
Coal ash is a hazard and a disposal problem.
Coal mining is the second highest emitter of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
High levels of radiation. Coal plants release more radiation than nuclear plants.
Coal burning releases SOx and NOx which both cause acid rain.
Burning coal emits mercury and other heavy metals that pose major health risks.
Coal emissions linked to increased rates of asthma and lung cancer.
Sequestration is new, expensive and its ability to hold CO2 for long periods of time is unproven. Risk of accidental
releases of large quantities of CO2.
Clean coal is not carbon free.
Significant energy penalties are incurred for sequestration.
CO2 is toxic at concentrations above 5 percent. The condition is called hypercapnia.

5) THBT there should be free wifi access in every town and city plaza in the country
6) THBT the power industry should be nationalized

The Pros of nationalization:

Allows industries to pursue social policies (Environment, Health, Pensions etc.) rather than only
profitable ventures, for example, public transportation, rural postal service,
There profits can go on to support other state programs and services
More equality instead of rich capitalists owning concentrated industries, they are ostensibly owned by the
public (but probably controlled by the state)
Can achieve economies of scale, lower production costs, benefit consumers
Prices can be set bellow market which private firms would never entertain

The Cons of nationalization:
Control of public industries by bureaucrats with less incentive to execute (Soviet style mismanagement)
Nationalization can often occur via expropriation, where private property is seized from domestic or foreign
owners without compensation
The largest issue is basically incentives, employees dont have as much incentive to improve productivity,
efficiency and technology because they dont stand to benefit as much in the public sector as profits are not
deemed important
 Can create monopolies, oligopolies, imperfect competition and set higher prices to extract surplus from
consumers
Corruption is a huge issue because public officials and administrators in charge of running the industries have
no ownership stake in the success of the business so they would be more willing break the law, create
inefficiency etc.

7) THBT ecotourism should be banned

a. The Cons of Ecotourism

b. 1. Damage to nature can occur despite our best intentions.

Humans always have the desire to explore more, go further, and push the rules. That means

there will always be someone who does something that theyre advised not to do while enjoying

an ecotourism adventure and that activity may very well disrupt the entire environment in a

negative way. Humans can often cause lots of damage despite their overall best intentions.

c. 2. Cultural change occurs, whether it is intended or not.

People are also a lot like sponges. Everyone tends to absorb a little bit of everyone that is around

them. Over time, this means local cultures change simply because they have welcomed others

into the community. As these changes happen, it means that a little piece of their culture gets

lost because it is being shipped away with every tourist that pays them with a visit.

d. 3. It can turn people into tourist attractions.

The native tribes of Africa or the Amazon are classic examples of this. People may go on an

ecotourism adventure, but the goal is to see and possibly interact with other humans that theyve

never encountered before. This type of attitude is more than just patronizing. Its disrespectful. If

you work in an office in the city, would you like to have groups of strangers coming by to observe

everything you do? A documentary could be made about how often you get up to go refill your

coffee mug. It would interfere with your working style, just as ecotoursim interferes with

traditional lifestyles.

e. 4. There is no system of support.

Ecotourism goes to remote corners of the planet, which means tourists dont have a support

system in place should something go wrong. If they have a medical emergency, for example, the

response to provide the needed care for life may be delayed by hours or even days.

f. These ecotourism pros and cons show that it is possible to see the world in a unique way. We just

have a responsibility to leave the world in the same condition that we found it when were
 exploring. As long as we can do that effectively and be respectful of local cultures, ecotourism

can be a very good thing.

The Pros of Ecotourism

1. It is a sustainable way for local economies to make money.

Because ecotourism is concerned about the condition of the environment, it encourages development

options that are sustainable to nature itself. This means that there will always be a renewable source

of potential revenues because the natural resources that people are coming to see will be preserved.

2. It is a way to create good paying jobs for local workers.

People will pay top dollar for memorable ecotourism experiences. Whether that is being on a boat to

observe orcas or dolphins in the wild or taking a trip through a rain forest, tourists need to have

guides and a system of supports in place where they choose to create a base of operations. This gives

local workers the chance to earn a good living while showing others why they love the area so much.

3. It allows people to see the world and get in touch with local cultures.

How many times would someone living in the urban jungle of New York City get to see a wild stream

full of fish and hunting bears as they walk to work? Local cultures get to be experienced through

ecotourism and that helps to further the learning opportunities we all have every day. How one

culture defines a perfect moment can be very different than other cultures, so comparing the two can

be an amazing experience.

4. It is very affordable.

Many ecotourism experiences can be enjoyed for a fraction of the cost of a traditional vacation at a

traditional resort location. There are fewer services and resources needed and many of the supplies,

like tents or sleeping bags, can be used for future adventures as well.