Tag Team debate challenge for Tito Sotto

An open letter was posted through GMA News addressed to the controversial senator Tito Sotto challenging him into a debate about RH Bill and plagiarism.

The first part was written by an Ateneo Professor Leloy Claudio asking him a topic about the RH Bill issue. He asked Sotto to look for a partner and suggested that his partner should come from the CBCP.

Hopefully you are more open to debating now. In your last privilege speech, you complained about cyber-bullying and claimed that your detractors refuse to refute the substantive portions of your turno en contra speeches. Should you accept our challenge, we will do exactly as you requested. Present all your evidence, and we will respond accordingly. If you want a tag-team partner of your own, there is always the CBCP.

If not granted, Leloy called for the senator issue his vote over the RH Bill.

The second part of the letter was written by Miguel Syjuco, a novelist and a freelance writer.

He said that since Sotto believes that plagiarism is not a crime in the Philippines, he wanted him into a debate.

This debate is important because there remain questions that deserve answers. For instance, you’ve avoided  allegations that, in addition to Sarah Pope and three other online sources, you also plagiarized the work of Janice Formichella and Peter Engelman, two American writers who tell me personally that you copied-and-pasted from their copyrighted work. Nor have you provided tangible proof that the pill Diane was linked to the very tragic death of your son, nor explained how your wife even took Diane in 1974 when it only existed in 1978. Neither you nor Hector Villacorta has addressed these issues.

Since you say copying is permitted in the Philippines, I propose a catchy name for our event: D'Thrilla sa Manila. Subtitled: Church & State vs. Academia & the Internet.

Just like Claudio, if his request for debate was denied, he encouraged Sotto to allow voting for the bill.