-DABATE NG MGA NAIS MAHALAL SA NASYUNAL NA MGA POSISYON, DAPAT UMPISAHAN NA NG COMELEC

Iminungkahi ni dating House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano na umpisahan na ng Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ang pagganap ng presidential debates bago magtapos ang taong 2021.

Sa resolusyong inihain ni Cayetano, kasama ang kanyang mga kaalyado, ipinursige ng dating speaker ang maagang pagsagawa ng mga debate upang mai-uphold ang karapatan sa impormasyon ng mga mamamayan at mabigyan ng pantay-pantay na pagkakataon din ang mga kandidato na marinig sila at ang kanilang mga kasagutan sa mga katanungan ng sambayanan.

Sinabi ni Cayetano na ang pagkakaroon ng debate at ang pag-uumpisa nito ng maaga ang maging susi sa informed choices at ang mga debateng ito ang makapa-bibigay sa mga botante ng sapat na oportunidad upang masuri ang mga kuwalipikasyon, track record, plataporma, mga programa at ang kanilang mga panindigan sa ibat ibang mga isyu na may national corcern.

"Holding debates and starting them earlier is key to informed choices as these debates will give the electorate ample opportunity to examine the candidates' qualifications, track record, platforms, programs, and stand on issues of national concern," the resolution reads.

Cayetano, who is running for Senate as an independent candidate, has been advocating for presidential, vice presidentia,l and senatorial debates since the period for filing of candidacies in October.

His aim is for various institutions to hold the debates from December 2021 until April 2022, as these events are the best way for Filipino voters to make fully informed choices.

In October alone, 400,000 new voters registered for the upcoming election, adding to the 5 million voters who registered since the last election. This brings the total number of registered voters to 62 million. 

The former House Speaker had suggested that the debates be hosted by the country's media networks, major universities, and faith-based and business groups.

Proposed topics for the debates include COVID-19 response, health, economy, wages and employment, poverty and hunger, corruption, stimulus measures for displaced workers, law enforcement, values in government, peace and order, environmental sustainability, and foreign relations. 

"We keep telling people, let's be objective, facts tayo, huwag tayo emosyon, but we're not giving them the venue to do that. So ang nangyayari ngayon, kanya-kanyang kampanya, kanya-kanyang kampihan, but we're not giving the public the venue na mai-side-to-side ang mga kandidato," Cayetano previously said during a press briefing in Taguig City on November 5.

(We keep telling people, let’s be objective, let’s stick to the facts, let’s not be emotional, but we’re not giving them the venue to do that. So what happens is the candidates all do their own thing, but we’re not giving the public the venue to compare the candidates side-by-side.)

The aim is to have 15 weekly one-on-one debates among the six leading presidential candidates on a round-robin basis, compared to three presidential debates held during the 2016 presidential elections.

This will give the aspirants ample time to hash out their views on a broad range of topics and voters to familiarize with track records, qualifications, platforms, and programs. 

The former Speaker hopes that these topics can be covered without the candidates using the platform to attack each other. 

“Masyado nang malaki ang problema ng COVID, hindi naman natin gustong magpalabas ng debate na wala lang ginawa kundi lang mag-disagree for the sake of disagreeing,” Cayetano stated.

(We already have a huge problem with COVID around, we don’t want to come out with debates that do nothing but make candidates disagree for the sake of disagreeing.)

The debates will also serve as a basis for accountability of elected officials. 

Cayetano believes that candidates do not need to be the best debater but they should be good communicators as their roles require communicating with the international community, the Cabinet, the military, the police, and the people.

The 2022 National and Local Elections will be held in six (6) months time on May 9, 2022. ####