It should be ‘politically costly’ for candidates to shun Comelec's debate

Former Commission on Elections commissioner Luie Guia on Monday said the poll body should ensure that it will be "politically costly" for candidates not to attend debates organized by the Comelec.

During The Mangahas Interviews, Guia likened candidates attending debates to an applicant who is called to attend an interview for a job that he or she wishes to have.

"Ang unang-una dito dapat irespeto ang taumbayan, 'yung mga botante dahil sila talaga 'yung boss ng mga kandidato, naga-apply sila ng trabaho sa mga botante. Hindi ka dumalo sa job interview na inorganize ng HR ng bayan, 'yung Comelec 'yung pinaka-HR, eh anong klase kang aplikante ng trabaho?" Guia said.

(The candidates should first and foremost respect the people, the voters because they are the real boss here. If a candidate does not attend a job interview organized by the human resources, Comelec in this case, what kind of applicant is he or she?)

"Mahalaga din sa Comelec na it will be politically costly for candidates not to attend to a debate sponsored by the Comelec," he added.

In January, Comelec spokesperson Director James Jimenez said candidates for president and vice president were not required to attend the Comelec-organized debates.

However, he warned the Eleksyon 2022 candidates that the poll body would “make a big deal” out of their absence.

He said the Comelec would leave the podium assigned to a specific candidate empty to highlight his or her absence.

The Comelec-sponsored debates will be held next month.—AOL, GMA News