Comelec commissioner seeks law requiring presidential bets to attend debates

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Garcia on Thursday called on Congress to pass a law requiring presidential candidates to attend debates in every election, adding that there should be sanctions on debate skippers.

Garcia said the poll body also sought the help of the law and education information departments to check for possible sanctions on debate skippers.

“Kung ano man yung sanction na iimpose namin may be questioned, sasabihin unconstitutional but at the same time inendorse namin, tulungan kami ng law department at ng education information department tungkol sa bagay na yan baka makahanap pa sila ng iba pang sanction,” he said during the press briefing.

(Whatever sanction we impose may be questioned, they may say it will be unconstitutional but at the same time we endorse it to the law department and the education information department to help us about the matter.)

The Comelec commissioner appealed to Congress to pass a law after the May 2022 polls to have a presidential debate in every election.

“Kaya tayo po ay patuloy na nanawagan sa ating kagalang-galang na Kongreso after this election baka pwede na tayo makapagpasa ng batas na magkakaroon talaga ng presidential debate  sa lahat ng election natin,” Garcia said.

(That is why we continue to call on the Congress after this election so that we may be able to pass a law that will require a presidential debate in all our elections.)

“At the same time ano yung mga guidelines, ano yung mga rules at the same time ano yung punishment, sanction, disqualification ba, election offense ba? Para po mas maganda mas malinaw, kasi kung Comelec ang gagawa nun that would be unconstitutional because that is legislation,” he added.

(At the same time what are the guidelines, what are the rules and at the same time what are the punishment, sanction, disqualification, election offense? If the Comelec does that, that would be unconstitutional because that is legislation.)

Meanwhile, Comelec said it has modified the format for the second round of the PiliPinas Debates of the presidential candidates set on Sunday, April 3, 2022.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez explained that there will be one general question for all candidates to answer at the start of the debates.

Each candidate will be allotted two minutes or 120 seconds to answer the questions, with 30 seconds added for a rebuttal.

Nine out of the ten presidential bets attended the Comelec’s first presidential debate held on March 19.

Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. did not join the said debate with his camp saying they will be with supporters instead.—LDF, GMA News