IT’S all systems go for the first ever presidential debate as five candidates vying to become the country’s next president prepared for what Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista called a “face-off” in Cagayan de Oro on Sunday.
In an ambush interview, Bautista said every presidential candidate will be given 1.5 minutes to answer the issue and 30 seconds for rebutting other candidates.
“This is like a face-off,” Bautista said. “All systems go for our first-ever debate. This is the first presidential debate that will happen outside Metro Manila and in our history,” Bautista said.
He said he received no notice of withdrawal from presidential candidates Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance; former Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II of the Liberal Party; independent Senator Grace Poe, Senator Miriam Santiago of the People’s Reform Party and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
“There are five candidates and the candidates will be asked a question and then the second candidate will be asked to respond to the answer,” the poll chief said.
“It will have a very interesting format patterned after international best practices. Basically, we learned it from the CNN Republican debate,” he added.
The debate will be held at the Mini-Theater Building of the Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro and will be moderated by GMA news anchor Mike Enriquez and Jessica Soho and co-hosted by John Nery of Inquirer.
Bautista said there will be four topics to be discussed: economic development, peace and order, track records, and some Mindanao issues.
The Comelec earlier said that the venue has a capacity of 500 attendees. The debate will be aired from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
On March 20, the second leg of the presidential debates will be held in the Visayas and will be sponsored by the TV5 and the Philippine Star.
The April 24 presidential debate in Luzon will be hosted by ABS-CBN and Manila Bulletin while the lone vice presidential debate to be held in Metro Manila on April 10 will be sponsored by CNN Philippines and Business Mirror.
Bautista said the lead media entities were given the prerogative to identify the host facilities, preferably in schools.
Section 7 of the Fair Election Act states that the Comelec “may require national television and radio networks to sponsor at least three national debates among presidential candidates and at least one among vice presidential candidates”.
