MBA’s Demapan, Lee are Covenant debate champs

The year 2009 is proving to be a banner year for Marianas Baptist Academy after it dominated the Seventh Annual Covenant Debate yesterday at the Supreme Court, with two of the school’s debaters winning the championship rounds in both junior and senior divisions.

Micaela T. Demapan bested fellow MBA student Jessica Lee in the high school category during the debate that centered on the recently enacted law extending federal control of immigration to the CNMI.

Debaters argued for or against the resolve that “U.S. Public Law 110-229 violates the CNMI’s rights of local self-government under Section 103 of the Covenant.”

Demapan, a junior student, defended the negative part.

Demapan and Lee were also the gold and silver medalists in the recently concluded National Forensic League’s Lincoln Douglas Debate, a ticket that qualified them to be this year’s competitors in the Covenant debate.

“It feels really good! This is my first time in the Covenant Debate and I am glad I made it,” Demapan told Saipan Tribune after receiving the perpetual plaque, which she will hold throughout the year.

Demapan admitted that, prior to the debate, she had only a passing knowledge of the subject but research helped her better understand the “timely and interesting” issue.

Demapan cited two main contentions in her argument.

“First, a provision of the U.S. Constitution says that the U.S. has control over the territories. For instance, if it wants to take over the immigration system, it can do that here on Saipan,” she said.

Citing the language of Section 101 of the Covenant, Demapan said it clearly states that the United States has sovereignty over the CNMI and taking over its immigration system is just a legal process.

Demapan, the daughter of Frances and Chief Justice Miguel Demapan, also impressed judges during the question-and-answer portion, where she cited facts and figures used by various parties and agencies that conducted studies on the subject.

In the junior division, MBA’s Young Eun Lee bested competitor Glen Florendo of Grace Christian Academy. The two were the top winners in the NJFL debate competition last Saturday.

Also a first-timer to the Covenant debate competition, Lee feels proud of her achievement.

“It was unexpected! It’s really amazing…because I know I had a tough competitor. I am so happy and proud to win this award,” Lee said.

The eight grader, who defended the affirmative side of the resolve, admitted that the split opinion and views of the community and experts on the issue made the subject more interesting.

Lee presented three contentions: the law would impact Saipan’s economy, restrict the CNMI’s government from self-governing its citizens, and U.S. action toward the Commonwealth.

“Public Law 110-229 violates Section 103 because it is requiring what the Commonwealth is not requiring. If the CNMI does follow the law, then its forced removal of two-thirds of existing employment base and its projected devastation of the local economy by 50 percent or more would violate constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of NMI people, employers, and property owners,” she argued, adding that based on Section 103 of the Covenant, the people of the CNMI has the right of local self-government and would govern themselves with respect to internal affairs in accordance with a Constitution of their own adoption.

The 14-year-old student said these violations will have a negative impact on Saipan’s economy by prohibiting the CNMI from ensuring an adequate supply of labor for local residents and businesses.

This law, she added, will also prevent the Commonwealth government from protecting the interests of both its citizens and foreign workers presently on the islands and from collecting millions of dollars from local employers and foreign workers that are used to provide essential social services.

Lee is the daughter of Kwang Eun Lee and Young Ae Lee.

MBA coach-teacher Lorna Liban was elated with her students’ achievement yesterday.

“I am very proud of our students today. Even though they had less time to prepare, they did their best and again, we would like everyone to know that MBA’s success is because we want to do things for God’s glory,” she told Saipan Tribune.

MBA held the Covenant championship title in the junior division last year when Mark Anthony Liban ruled the competition. The senior division was then dominated by Marianas High School’s Rachel Reyes.

Liban said that MBA has been consistent in getting top places both in the NFL and NJFL debate events for three consecutive years.

MBA also won this year’s mock trial rounds, middle school academic challenge bee, Scripps Spelling bee in Guam, and dominated the CNMI delegates to the NFL, NJFL nationals.

The Covenant Debate is a program organized by the NMI Council for the Humanities.