Cayetano twits Binay for bringing notes, ‘disregarding rules’

CEBU CITY, Philippines—“Why can’t you debate without notes?”

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano mocked Vice President Jejomar Binay for allegedly delaying the presidential debates on Sunday after insisting to bring notes with him onstage.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) prohibits any presidential candidate from bringing his or her notes onstage during the debate.

READ: Row over rules delays second presidential debate

TV 5’s Luchi Cruz-Valdezs said there was a “miscommunication,” which caused the delay of the debate, which should have started at 5 p.m. It started past 6:30 p.m.

Cruz-Valdes has apologized for acceding to the request of Binay’s camp that he be allowed to bring notes on stage.

READ: TV5 exec apologizes for mistakenly allowing Binay to bring notes

But Cayetano, the running mate of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, slammed Binay for trying to alter the rules of the debate, which he said shows clear proof that the Vice President would do anything to evade corruption allegations being thrown against him and his family.

“He is running for president but he can’t even debate without notes? How can the vice president present himself as this country’s next president if he cannot even participate in a debate where corruption is among the most important issues?” the senator stressed.

“The mechanics have been clear since day one. The Comelec rule since the first debate was that there should be no notes. But with what transpired today, we just saw a glimpse of what a Binay leadership will bring to the country – a total disregard for established rules,” he added. IDL

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