Santiago to raise final Comelec debate ‘to higher level’

MALOLOS, Bulacan – Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor-Santiago will attend the final leg of the debate hosted by the Commission on Elections at the University of Pangasinan on Sunday, April 24.

The senator, who skipped a month of campaign and the second part of the Comelec debate in Cebu for her anticancer treatment, said she wants to take the discussions to a “higher level.”

Santiago said she hopes there would be no more mudslinging in the next debate unlike the previous one and instead focus on real issues.

“I will raise it to a higher level. Nagsisiraan lang ng siraan ang mga kandidato. Gusto ko sana yung discussion ng ating domestic issues and international policies,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the commencement exercises at Bulacan State University on Monday.

At her commencement speech, she told the new graduates to not let themselves be swayed by the candidates’ empty promises.

“Ngayong mayroong mga presidential debate, ang maririnig mo lang ay ‘magbibigay ako ng tulay dyan, libre ang state education.’ E nasaan? Ang malaking tanong, saan tayo kukuha ng pera? Hindi naman nila tinutukoy yun,” she said.

She also called on the youth to be critical and vocal in the political process, and to choose an intelligent leader.

“We are a democratic country and it is our duty to keep our government in check,” she said.

Santiago has recently been campaigning more after her cancer treatment. Unlike her previous campus tours, the senator has also appeared healthier and her voice less shaky.