The Commission on Elections on Friday denied the request from the Otso Diretso opposition Senate slate to organize a debate with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Pagbabaho candidates, citing logistical issues and time constraints.
Poll spokesperson James Jimenez said the Comelec en banc has deliberated on the request and denied it for three reasons:
• Granting Otso Diretso’s request would be tantamount to giving preferential treatment to some senatorial candidates or slates;
• It would be practically impossible, logistically, to conduct meaningful debates involving all 62 candidates, without risking allegations of preferential treatment; and
• There are considerable time constraints, with only about two months remaining.
Last week, the Otso Diretso sent a letter to Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas, and asked the poll body to facilitate a public debate between their candidates and those of the administration-backed HNP.
The opposition candidates filed the letter after HNP campaign manager, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, said she preferred to have a third party to organize such a debate.
The opposition slate specifically wants to have a face-off for the May 13 midterm polls against the 13 HNP senatorial candidates.
The HNP has earlier snubbed the opposition party’s invitation to a debate at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo.
In the wake of the Comelec decision, Duterte said she was ready to debate all eight senatorial candidates of Otso Diretso.
“I have no opinion on the Comelec decision. I think it is more interesting to watch Inday Sara vs. eight of them,” said Duterte in a mix of Filipino and English. “Let’s debate, 1 is to 8.”
Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, part of the HNP campaign, hit the opposition candidates for negative campaigning.
“Their tactic of negative campaigning is not helping lift their numbers and is even alienating the electorate,” Velasco said.
Velasco said the electorate would want to hear what the candidates can do to improve their lives, what the candidates can offer to provide jobs and what the candidates have to say on health care.
Velasco said the Duterte administration is making headway in fulfilling its promises, such as the exemption from paying individual income tax returns of some 7.5 million people, increase in unconditional cash transfer, fuel subsidies to PUJ operators, universal health care, free college education and the massive infrastructure projects that generate jobs.
Various pre-election surveys show that candidates of the Otso Diretso slate are performing poorly in terms of voter preference, he said.
“If they inject a little positivity into their campaign, there’s a chance they can persuade the voters in their favor. It’s a long campaign period,” Velasco said.
But the leader of the opposition, Vice President Leni Robredo, said the lesser known candidates on the Otso Diretso slate were racing against time to make themselves known.
Only two of the Otso Diretso have made it to Top 12 or winners’ circle in pre-election polls: former Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV.