Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will attend Go Negosyo’s “Kandidatalks,” a series of broadcast interviews starting today with the bets in the May 9 national elections, his spokesman Vic Rodriguez confirmed Sunday.
The show, hosted by the presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, said former senator Marcos would be paired with doctor-lawyer Jose Montemayor Jr. to kick off the five-day series.
Concepcion, founder of Go Negosyo, will join journalist and news anchor Cheryl Cosim to ask the candidates about their plans should they become the country’s next president.
This developed as Senator Imee Marcos said Sunday it was better for her brother to attend the debates organized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), noting people who tune into the debates are excited to hear from the candidates.
Rodriguez, however, was silent on the comments the elder Marcos sibling gave to radio DWIZ, pointing instead to their previous statement that the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer preferred to reach out to his supporters at the local level through campaign sorties.
Meanwhile, the Comelec said it would change the format of the second presidential debate, set for March 26—but did not say how it would do so.
“I am heartened to see that all of the candidates for the highest office in the land have decided to participate in Kandidatalks,” Concepcion said in a statement.
“It is a rare achievement and tells us how important it is for the country’s next leader to prioritize the welfare of the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs),” he added.
The show will be streamed daily at 10:30 a.m. starting March 21 to 25 over the Go Negosyo Facebook page and broadcast over One PH (Cignal Ch.1). It will also be broadcast over One News (Cignal Ch. 8) at 5:30 p.m.
The Marcos-Montemayor pairing will be followed by Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and labor leader Leodegario “Ka Leody” de Guzman on March 22, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and former Defense chief Norberto Gonzales (March 23), Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and former Palace spokesman Ernesto “Ernie” Abella (March 24), and Vice President Leni Robredo with Faisal Mangondato on March 25.
Organized by Go Negosyo and Bilang Pilipino, News 5’s coverage of the 2022 Philippine Elections, “Kandidatalks” will focus on three issues that face the country following two years battling the COVID-19 pandemic: the economy, jobs, and health.
Go Negosyo first hosted a forum for presidential candidates in 2016.
Talking to reporters after the first debate Saturday night, Comelec Commissioner George Garcia described the first event as “perfect” — even though Marcos Jr., the presumptive frontrunner in the presidential race, was a no-show.
“In the next presidential debate, there will be some adjustments that will surprise the candidates. If they already know or have an idea of what will happen, there is no more thrill,” he said after the first “PiliPinas Debates 2022” at the Sofitel Hotel Tent in Pasay City on Saturday night.
“We can definitely promise you that there will be changes in the format. There is a surprise difference that they themselves will appreciate,” he added.
On her brother’s debate appearances, Senator Marcos said: “For me, I think it’s better if he appears in the debates because the people are excited to hear from our candidates.”
Imee said she advised Bongbong, who is leading voter surveys, to attend the debates, “kahit hindi lahat, at least magpakita (Even if he doesn’t attend all the debates, at least he shows up.)”
“At the end of the day I’m just the elder sister… I can advise him but it’s his decision if it’s important for them,” she added.
Garcia said the first debate was “very successful.”
“It’s not 100 [percent] perfect, but it’s a good start, it’s successful for us. We think everyone, probably even if those who watched on television, followed it on social media, heard over radio, we can say that it’s very successful because it was appreciated by our candidates and their teams at the same time, and also by everyone who witnessed this debate,” he said after the more than two-hour event.
“The questions that were asked did not favor one candidate. It was fair to all the candidates, they all appreciated it and were able to answer the questions clearly,” he added.
He admitted that they cannot control the participants if they want to talk about a candidate who decided to skip the event.
“Of course, we have no control over that, we cannot stop those who are present from going to that topic because it’s their discretion. It can always come out in their answer,” he said.
“So, I think this will be a reminder for those who are looking to skip the next debates not to be absent or else they are going to be the topic of those who will be present in the debate.”
He said he appreciated the presence of those who took the time to be at the debate.
Marcos spokesman Rodriguez earlier said the former senator opted not to join the Comelec debate to attend the grand rally of the UniTeam in Marikina City.