Sara can’t say yet if she’ll attend future debates

Vice presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte cannot say yet if she will be joining future Eleksyon 2022 debates.

“Wala pa po 'yan sa discussion namin sa team namin,” Duterte said during an ambush interview in Pasay City.

(Our team has not discussed it.)

Duterte skipped the vice presidential debate, organized by CNN Philippines last weekend.

She said she had her reasons but she did not disclose what these were. Duterte also said she preferred to campaign and hear the sentiments of the people.

Duterte’s running mate, presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., also declined to join the CNN presidential debate.

Marcos also skipped the presidential interview with GMA Network’s veteran journalist, Jessica Soho, and the forum organized by the Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas.

Duterte also revealed that she was not discussing debate matters with Marcos.

“No, we do not discuss the matter on debates between me and Apo BBM,” she said.

Duterte's spokesperson, Liloan Mayor Christina Frasco, said earlier that the vice-presidential candidate had decided to campaign for the vice presidency without attending debates.

"Mayor Sara has already decided to do a campaign without attending debates and instead work her hardest on the ground to continue to earn the trust and win the vote of the people as the next Vice President of the Philippines," Frasco said in a statement.

Furthermore, candidates were at liberty to decide whether or not to accept invitations to debates.

"It is also within a candidate’s discretion to limit his exposure to tweets and soundbites only," added Frasco.

Russian invasion

Meanwhile, Duterte said that, as a local chief executive, she supported the direction of the national government when it came to responding to the situation in Russia.

Duterte had said the Philippine government should remain neutral in matters not directly affecting the country. In this interview, she said she was responding “hypothetically.”

“Sa akin naman, as a local chief executive, and as a local government official, we follow kung ano yung direction, all of us will follow kung ano yung direction ng national government,” Duterte said.

(As a local chief executive and as a local government official, we follow the direction of the national government.)

The Philippines voted to condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine, which left hundreds of people dead. — DVM, GMA News