Former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas did not waste time in taking a swipe at his opponents in the presidential race during the start of "PiliPinas Debates 2016" on Sunday afternoon.
During his opening statement, Roxas likened the search for president to a search for a family driver and asked if one would want a crook, a hothead or an inexperienced one to be that driver.
Though he did not mention names, Roxas could be alluding to Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is being accused of corruption; Davao City Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, both known for their emotional flare-ups; and Sen. Grace Poe, a neophyte senator gunning for the presidency.
"Kung ihahambing natin ang pagpili ng pangulo tulad ng pagpili natin sa magmamaneho sa ating mga anak sa araw-araw, sino ang pipiliin natin? Kanino natin ipagkakatiwala ang kaligtasan ng ating mga anak? Sa isang tao na may mga kaso ng pagnanakaw, sa isang mainitin ang ulo na maaaring maaksidente [o] sa isang ngayon pa lang natututong magmaneho?" Roxas said.
"O ipagkakaloob po natin ito sa isang taong matagal niyo nang kilala, matagal nang nanilbihan at ni minsan hindi kayo pinahamak o pinagsamantalahan?" he added.
Meanwhile, Duterte commented that Santiago is one of only two candidates who are qualified to seek the presidency. He did not mention the other one.
“I am glad that Sen. Miriam Santago is here, she one of the two who are qualified [to lead the country],” he said.
In his opening statement, Duterte reiterated his claim that he would fight criminality and corruption within three to six months upon assuming office if he is elected president.
Santiago, for her part, highlighted corruption in her opening statement: “Everybody wants to have the money of the government in their pockets.”
She cited corruption as the reason why the Philippines is one of the poorest in the 10-member ASEAN.
“There are many things we are rich in this country. Natural resources, people resources and yet year after year we hear analysts and economists say that we are one of the poorest countries in the 10-member ASEAN,” Santiago said.
Corruption
Meanwhile, Binay skirted the issue of corruption in his opening statement and instead focused on poverty, saying, “Kahirapan pa rin problema ng bayan.”
He said poverty was the issue he addressed when he served as longtime mayor of Makati City, the country's center of business and finance. He cited jobs creation as the reason for the rise of Makati as the country's richest city.
Binay also mentioned the corruption charges against him and his son, dismissed Makati mayor Junjun Binay.
“Siniraan ako at ang aking pamilya ng mga bagay-bagay. Ako ay manumuno sa ating bansa na dala-dala ang ating malawak na pamamahala at malasakit sa bayan,” he said.
Binay, an activist lawyer-turned-politician, is currently embroiled in corruption issues. In October 2015, shortly after he filed his certificate of candidacy, the Office of the Ombudsman approved his indictment for graft and other criminal charges over the construction of the P2.28billion Makati City Hall Building II.
Binay and his son, dismissed Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, were also charged with graft for alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati Science High School building.
Lack of experience
As for Poe, she acknowledged during the debate that she had the least political experience among the political candidates. She, however, said she makes up for it by having a genuine eagerness to serve the public.
She also said that if ever she wins president, she will make sure that 30 percent of the country's budget will go to Mindanao, a region beset by poverty and peace and order problems.
Sunday's first-ever PiliPinas Debates 2016 was organized by GMA 7, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Commission on Elections. —KBK, GMA News