MANILA – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who recently declared that he will run for president, is cool to the idea of engaging other presidential aspirants in a debate.
”Ayokong makipag-debate sa kanila. Wah. Debate debate. Wala namang mangyayari,” he said.
He, however, quickly clarified that he may attend if he will be forced.
”Pero kung pipilitin nila ako, ok lang. We’ll talk everything under the sun.”
Duterte said he is already content with presenting his platform of government to the public.
”Basta ako, iyan ang gawin ko, iyan lang, iyan ang program ko. Alisin ko ang droga, criminality, graft and corruption sa gobyerno. I’ll fix government,” he said.
The Commission on Elections will conduct presidential and vice-presidential debates in the run-up to the 2016 elections. There will be three presidential debates, one each in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The vice-presidential debate will be held in Metro Manila.
Comelec chairman Andres Bautista has said the candidates are not required to attend the debates, but he said their attendance will show they are serious in running for office.
Source: ABS-CBN News