UP Cebu to host presidential debate

Presidential candidates Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. Miriam Santiago, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Grace Poe and Mar Roxas at the Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City for the presidential debate. (Inquirer photo)

AFTER Cagayan de Oro City, the country’s five presidential candidates will face off again in the Visayas leg of the PiliPinas Presidential Debates to be held at the Performing Arts Hall of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) on March 20.

The debate will be hosted by TV5 and the Philippine Star. It will start at 5 p.m. and is an invite-only event for an audience of 500 who will be provided with ID cards.

It will be broadcast live and covered by local and national media outlets.

UP Cebu Dean Atty. Liza Corro clarified in yesterday’s press conference that the university is the official venue.

The issues and even the format of the debate were shuffled and drawn randomly by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

She said the university has little-to-no-control on the mechanics of the debate.

“What I know is that the format will be different for each leg of the debate. Last Sunday’s format was more of a town hall format, but this one, according to Comelec, will be different,” Corro said.

She said they are still in talks with Comelec and the host media outlets to fine tune details on who will be allowed inside the debate hall.

The entourage of the candidates will be limited to 15-20 people while 100 students of UP Cebu will be allowed into the debate hall. The other invitees will be determined by Comelec.

The university is also trying to determine whether media outlets will have to be accredited prior to the event.

Gregg Lloren, UP professor and grounds and events manager, said a LED screen will be set up on the school grounds to livestream the debate.