Mar Roxas has edge in last presidential debate, says camp

Administration standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II has the advantage going into the last leg of the PiliPinas debates for the presidential elections, his camp claimed Saturday. 

“Like all prior debates, we are confident that Mar has the edge, both in terms of depth of understanding of issues and the detail in his plans,” Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez, a spokesperson for the ruling coalition, said in a text message. 

Roxas and his four other opponents -- Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Jejomar Binay, and Senators Grace Poe and Miriam Defensor Santiago -- will face off for the last time before the May 9 elections in a town hall format debate on Sunday. 

The debate will be held at the PHINMA University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City at 6 p.m.

Gutierrez said Roxas’ preparations for the debate will be “more of a review of issues” he has already presented in various fora and campaign sorties.

“All of the topics have been covered in prior debates. This late in the campaign, Mar has had the chance to discuss virtually all aspects of our platform in various fora,” he said.

Asked whether the last debate could boost Roxas’ numbers in the pre-election surveys, Gutierrez said: “Even without the last debate, I think Mar's numbers are going to go up.”

With only two weeks left in the campaign for the national elections, Roxas is still trailing behind survey frontrunner Duterte, Senator Poe, and Vice President Binay in the latest Pulse Asia survey.

Gutierrez said Duterte’s supporters would likely shift to Roxas in light of the mayor’s recent controversial remarks. 

“Mayor Duterte's tirades of the past week, starting with his ‘rape joke’ and the non-apologies that followed, have exposed the man behind the image. I believe many of our fellow Filipinos are looking for a candidate that will stand up to him, and that many of them will choose Mar,” Gutierrez said. 

“The debate will only further cement the conviction that Mar is the one best fit to stand up to Mayor Duterte, and most prepared to lead the country to the next level of prosperity and development,” he added. —ALG, GMA News