The Commission on Elections on Monday said it would push lawmakers to pass a law that could disqualify candidates who refuse to participate in the debates organized by the poll body.
In the absence of a law mandating candidates to join election debates, the Comelec has no authority to impose stiffer penalties for non-participation in the said forums, Commissioner George Erwin Garcia said.
The Comelec is currently limited to disallowing debate absentees to air their e-rallies on the poll body's official social media channels.
"Kukumbinsihin natin ang kagalang-galang na Kongreso na sana talaga ilagay nang requirement na a-attend ang lahat ng magiging kandidato, local man o national, sa mga ipapatawag na debate ng Commission on Elections," Garcia said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
"Kung hindi, pwede siyang maging ground ng disqualification. At the same time, pwedeng maging ground ng election offense," he added.
Garcia stressed how important it is for candidates to participate in election debates, as this would allow voters to know their platforms and positions on pressing issues.
"Ang debate, para itong isang pintuan na magpapakita sayo ng kaloob-looban at kaisipan ng isang kandidato. Napakaimportante nito dahil makikita rin ang kahandaan ng kandidato na humarap sa kanyang mga kababayan," he said.
"Hopefully mas magkakaroon ng ngipin at magiging mandatory ito sa mga darating na eleksyon pa sa susunod," he added.
The Comelec is holding a series of debates as part of its voter information campaign for the May 9 elections.
Of the two Comelec presidential debates that have taken place so far, presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos has declined to attend, with his spokesperson saying that they would rather continue with their face-to-face mode of campaigning.
Marcos' running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, also said she would skip debates as she campaigns for vice president, adding that she would leave it to the voters to decide.
A presidential and vice presidential town hall debate organized by the Comelec are set for April 24 and 23, respectively, where viewers can directly ask questions to the candidates.
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