MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to stage a debate series titled “PiliPinas Debates 2022: The Turning Point” for the 2022 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections.
Comelec has partnered with Impact Hub Manila, the group behind Vote Pilipinas, to deliver three presidential debates and two vice presidential debates within March to April period.
Vote Pilipinas, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, is the official voter information campaign partner of Comelec.
“This is a high-stakes event that the voting public has been fervently looking forward to, so we expect all candidates to be on deck and ready to demonstrate why they deserve our vote,” Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said.
PiliPinas Debates 2022 schedule
The first Presidential Debates is on March 19, followed by the Vice-Presidential Debates on March 20. There will also be a second Presidential Debates on April 3.
A unique component of the Pilipinas Debates 2022 is the back-to-back Town Hall Debates. The Presidential and Vice Presidential Town Hall Debates will be held on April 23 and 24, respectively.
“PiliPinas Debates 2022: The Turning Point” important dates
- March 19 – first presidential debate
- March 20 – first vice presidential debate
- April 3 – second presidential debate
- April 23 – second vice presidential debate (town hall format)
- April 24 – third presidential debate (town hall format)
The debate series will be held in Sofitel Philippine Plaza, a five-star hotel in Pasay City.
Debate format and topics
The commission stated that the debates will focus on the candidates’ platforms and plans.
Each debate is anchored on a set of predetermined topics on pressing concerns of the country, such as pandemic and the economy, and the pool of questions will come from the concerned sector groups.
NOTE: While candidates will be informed of the topics to be addressed by the debates, they will not be given questions in advance and are not allowed to bring notes.
The 3-hour debates will follow a single-moderator format, with no live audience. Draw lots will determine to whom the first question will go. Succeeding questions, however, will be answered by the candidates in their alphabetical order.
However, the Town Hall Debates series will have both remote and in-person audience, and a post-debate roundtable. It will follow a double-moderator format.
Where to watch PiliPinas Debates 2022
In a Facebook post of Vote Pilipinas, it said that these debates will be available live online (livestream), on TV, and radio.
It is expected that there will be a centralized feed that can be accessed by media organizations for public consumption.
Details of the livestreaming and broadcast of this high-stakes event will be updated here once available.
Sanction for debate skippers
Ten people are running for the highest post, while nine others are aiming for the vice presidency.
Presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier said he has not committed to join the debates, while his running mate Sara Duterte confirmed on Saturday, March 12, that she has already decided not to attend debates.
Another vice presidential candidate House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza, will also skip the debate citing a knee injury, the Comelec said.
Jimenez explained that candidates who will skip the Comelec debates will not be allowed to broadcast their electronic rallies on the poll body’s platform.
“We do have the e-rally that we allow them to use the platform and one of the agreements is that if they skip the debates, then they will not be able to air their e-rallies on our e-rally platform,” he said.
He explained that the ban will continue until the end of campaign period on May 7.
Jimenez was referring to Comelec’s e-rally campaign on Facebook. It posts campaign videos and materials on candidates to help them reach a wider audience amid the pandemic restrictions.
— The Summit Express