It doesn’t look like a one-time, big debate will happen before Election Day.
Despite talks between television giants ABS-CBN and GMA Network, a jointly organized debate remains unlikely as the leading presidential candidates appeared lukewarm to the idea.
While candidates have participated in several debates organized by television networks and other groups even before the campaign period, the forums have been largely limited to discussing similar topics and were ineffective in engaging the candidates in real arguments.
Last week, YouthVotePhilippines called on the three major television networks—ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5—to jointly organize a presidential debate. The group said that the networks should act beyond their “corporate instincts” to raise the quality of discussion of issues to benefit the public.
Responding to the call, Maria Ressa, head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, said that there were already talks for a big debate but the idea was turned down.
“KBP (Kapisanan ng mg Brodkaster ng Pilipinas) and ABS-CBN tried to put that debate together,” she said. “Jessica was okay in principle but Atty. (Felipe) Gozon turned it down, so I’m not sure if there’s any more room to move now.” Gozon is the president of GMA Network.
But Jessica Soho, GMA Network vice president for News Programs, said she was not at liberty to discuss Gozon’s reason for rejecting the debate. She added all this is now moot and academic because the candidates themselves are no longer willing to engage each other.
“I personally talked to them and they were no longer receptive to the idea,” Soho said.
She said she was able to talk to Senators Benigno Aquino III (LP) and Manuel Villar (NP), LP campaign manager Butch Abad and Villar’s brother Jojo Villar who reportedly neither accepted nor rejected the idea.
Former president Joseph Estrada of Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino and former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro of Lakas-Kampi-CMD have earlier said they are not inclined to join any more debates.
In declining the supposed ABS-CBN “Harapan” tandem debates among presidential and vice presidential candidates last March, Teodoro said in a statement that he would rather concentrate on provincial campaign sorties since he has already gone to enough forums and debates. However, he also said that he was open to join debates again in the last two weeks of the campaign.
Last April 18, GMA Network was supposed to have its version of a presidential debate, dubbed “Hamon,” but this was cancelled a day before it was supposed to be held.
Abad admitted that the LP declined to join the planned big debate because “masyado nang mababa ‘yung level of discussion (the level of discussion has gone so low). A debate at this point is no longer helpful.”
In the first “Harapan” among vice presidential candidates, Villar’s running mate, Sen. Loren Legarda, grilled Aquino’s running mate, Sen. Mar Roxas, on issues such as allegedly watering down the Cheaper Medicines Act, his family’s undistributed land in Montalban, Rizal and his changing political allegiance.
However, it was Legarda who got a poor audience response and believability ratings, while Roxas topped both. The “Harapan” debate was the first to feature an instant viewer feedback mechanism through the Wireless Audience Response System. Villar and Legarda have subsequently declined to join the “Harapan” tandem debates.
“The NP has been desperately looking for an opportunity to sling mud at us again and we will not dignify that,” Abad said.