Comelec to leave podium empty for Eleksyon 2022 bets who will skip debates

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will “make a big deal” out of the absence of a candidate in the 2022 elections in their debates, according to its spokesperson, James Jimenez, on Wednesday.

While he maintained that attendance to Comelec-organized events is not mandatory, Jimenez said the poll body will leave the podium assigned to a specific candidate empty to highlight his/her absence.

"If a candidate refuses to attend, their podium will remain empty," Jimenez said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

"So we will make a big deal of the fact that they are not there. So, I guess for a campaigner that could be a huge motivation to actually attend so we are pretty confident that they will attend."

He said the Comelec will stage the debates starting on last week of February. Debates will also be conducted in March and April, covering the entire campaign period for the 2022 elections.

So far, the poll body is considering three “massive” venues for the event and they are eyeing to conduct it in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

“The thing is, our commissioners have expressed their desire to actually hold debates in Visayas and Mindanao as well. So we are seeing how we can do that,” he said.

Jimenez said they are set to start the negotiations with the candidates with regard to the guidelines and the rules for the debates. After the negotiations, a memorandum of agreement will be signed between the Comelec and the concerned parties.

The campaign period for candidates running for national posts starts on February 9, 2022. The campaign period for local candidates, on the other hand, starts on March 9, 2022.

The 2022 national and local election is set on May 9, 2022. —KBK, GMA News