Row over rules delays second presidential debate

Presidential aspirants Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Grace Poe and former Interior Sec. Mar Roxas await the start of the second presidential debate. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net

A DISAGREEMENT on the rules set for the second presidential debate in Cebu is allegedly causing the delay in the start of the program, according to several sources.

A source privy to the discussion moments before the debate on Sunday told INQUIRER.net that Vice President Jejomar Binay was insisting on bringing his notes. The source said Binay claimed anchor Luchi Cruz-Valdez of TV5 told him “weeks ago” he could carry notes during the debate.

READ: 2nd presidential debate delayed; TV5 apologizes

The debate at the University of the Philippines Visayas in Cebu was scheduled for 5 p.m. but has been delayed for more than an hour already.

But the other candidates—Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party, Sen. Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte—protested because it was against the rules, according to two sources who asked not to be named.

Binay’s camp, however, accused Roxas of causing the delay.

In a statement on Sunday, the United Nationalist Alliance communications director Joey Salgado said Roxas took an issue over the documents Binay wanted to bring during the debates.

Salgado clarified that Binay wanted to bring in documents, not notes.

READ: Binay earliest in UP Cebu for 2nd debate

Salgado said Binay was allowed to bring documents during the meetings with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) attended by Roxas’ representative Akbayan congressman Barry Gutierrez.

“We got information that Roxas wanted to change agreements made in several meetings attended by his representative, Barry Gutierrez,” Salgado said.

“Mr. Gutierrez was seen by those in the venue approaching Comelec chair Andy Bautista and then talking to both Comelec chair and Patrick Paez (head of the TV5 News production),” Salgado said.

“What I know is that based on the agreements, candidates are allowed to bring documents with them…Roxas wants to change the agreement at the last minute,” Salgado said.

But Gutierrez argued that Roxas’ camp is not demanding a change in the rules. Instead, it was Binay who was asking to be exempted from the rule.

“VP Binay wants to be exempted from this rule. Gusto niya may kodigong bitbit (He wants to bring his condigo) and his handlers are talking to TV5 and Comelec. We are NOT asking for any rule change. It is VP Binay who is asking for an exemption from the rule,” he said in a statement to the media.

He reiterated that since the first presidential debate in Cagayan de Oro, the Comelec had prohibited the candidates to bring in notes while on stage.

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