Comelec sets debate sked for top bets

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set the schedule for the debates it will organize for the presidential and vice presidential candidates in next year’s national elections.

Comelec Chair Andres Bautista on Saturday announced that the poll watchdog will organize debates on four Sundays between Feb. 21 and April 24, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

He said the first three presidential debates will be held in Mindanao, the Visayas and Luzon on Feb. 21, March 20 and April 24, respectively.

A debate for vice presidential candidates will be held on April 10 in a venue in Metro Manila that has yet to be announced.

“We had a meeting with the KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas) and all the broadcast stations. We decided to do the debates in four weeks,” Bautista said.

He said the Comelec and the organizers will crowdsource most of the questions for the candidates. Niña P. Calleja