What to expect for the 2022 Elections Presidential Debate?

One of the most anticipated events during election season is the Pilipinas Debates series. This is a series of four debates sponsored by the Commission on Elections that span from the months of February to May of the election year. Three of these debates are dedicated to the Presidential Elections while the remaining fourth is for the Vice Presidential aspirants.

Since 1992, this series of debates were held every election year without interruption or drastic changes. However, in this upcoming 2022 Elections, we are bound to see some differences in the usual set-up of the debates to accommodate health protocols due to COVID-19.

Let’s talk about these expected changes as well as key issues that the Filipino republic is expecting in these debates.

Set-up

Historically, the debates have been held in four grand locations wherein, the public can freely attend to watch and ask questions to the candidates. These are also televised via the big media outlets in the country. However, this is bound to change in the upcoming elections.

Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo has said, that they are expecting a ‘hybrid’ form of the debates. He has guaranteed that the debates will push through for this election cycle and added that it might employ a set-up in which some candidates are physically present in the venue while there will also be candidates who will be joining the debates remotely via online platforms.

Almost certainly, we can expect that they will not be letting the public into the debate venues to prevent any superspreader event. However, Comelec might still devise a way to accommodate public participation by using social media channels where Filipinos can ask their questions.

Key issues

One of the highlights of the debates is the candidate’s answers, stances, and platforms to key issues that are expected to persist into the next administration. Outlined below are the pressing issues that are surely not going to be skipped in the debates.

COVID-19 plan

With the pandemic entering its third year, Filipinos will surely be curious to know what these candidates are planning to do to address COVID-19. What are their healthcare platforms? How are they planning to improve the thus-far poor pandemic response of the country?

Economic plan

In our post-pandemic economic recovery, how do the presidential candidates plan to address the millions of Filipinos whose livelihoods were lost due to COVID-19? How do the candidates plan to boost the economy, create more jobs, and generate income for the country?

Foreign policy

Following the messy and questionable foreign policy of the Duterte administration which led the Philippines to have deep ties to China, at the expense of the West Philippine Sea, how does this matrix of new candidates plan to craft their foreign policy to help in the development of the country?