CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and its partner media organizations will hold the second round of the presidential debates on Sunday at University of the Philippines Cebu.
Hosted by TV5 and the Philippine Star, the three-hour debate, which will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., will have two major rounds with different formats.
READ: UP Cebu to host presidential debate
Patrick Paez, head of TV5 news production, told media on Saturday that the first half would involve panelists while the second half would feature the candidates fielding and answering questions from each other. The program will be moderated by veteran broadcaster Luchi Cruz-Valdes.
Four of the five presidential candidates have confirmed attendance: Vice President Jejomar Binay, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Grace Poe and former Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, earlier announced that she would have to skip the debate to undergo a clinical trial for a new anticancer pill.
READ: Santiago to skip Comelec debate to try new anticancer pill
Besides the two media organizations, 30 local journalists will be allowed inside the Performing Arts Hall, which can accommodate only 500 people. The other seats have been reserved for sectoral organizations, Comelec, UP officials, local government and candidates’ supporters.
A media center will be made available for journalists while UP has provided a LED screen, bleachers and chairs on the university grounds for a public viewing.
Among the topics that are supposed to be tackled during the debate are healthcare, education, corruption, and disaster preparedness or climate change adaptation.
In anticipation of the Visayas leg of the debates, the Inquirer group held town halls in Iloilo and Cebu.
READ: Inquirer Town Hall series focuses on Iloilo economy
During the Iloilo leg, resource persons tackled the source of the province’s economic boom, while in Cebu, local politicians discussed the presidential fight and the chances of winning of the each of the five candidates.
Inquirer and GMA Network hosted the first presidential debate, which was attended by all of the candidates. It was held at Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro last month. RC
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