MANILA, Philippines - A senior student from the University of the Philippines Diliman won this year's search for the Philippine representative to the English Speaking Union's International Public Speaking Competition (ESU IPSC), beating other hopefuls for a chance to represent the Philippines in London this May.

John Lenard Robles, a fourth year business administration and accountancy student, beat around 30 contestants after delivering a speech with the theme "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Robles, through his personal experience, talked about the importance of balancing intelligence with empathy, and how people should be in tune with their logical and creative sides in order to make the most out of their lives.

Placing second is Vincent Yu, a medical student from the UP Manila while Arman Ghodsinia, a student from the Philippine Science High School, took third place.

Robles will be flying to London, England in May after his training with ESU Philippines.

The Philippines has already won twice in the International Public Speaking Competition, with Patricia Evangelista (2004) and Gian Karlo Dapul (2008) beating other speakers from all over the world.

The national search for the Philippine Representative to the ESU IPSC was organized by the UP Debate Society and ESU Philippines.