Newly appointed Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Andres Bautista (left) and commissioner Rowena Guanzon face the media at the COMELEC office in Intramuros, Manila on Monday. Bautista was the chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) prior to his new assignment. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – A lawmaker wants to compel presidential and vice presidential candidates to participate in debates ahead of the national elections by establishing a Presidential Debate Commission to oversee its conduct.
Under House Bill 5269 filed by Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita Suansing, the proposed commission will be composed of six members appointed as follows:
(a) One member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(b) One member shall be appointed by the House Majority Leader, who shall not be a member of the Majority leader’s political party;
(c) One member shall be appointed by the President of the Senate;
(d) One member shall be appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate; and
(e) two members shall be appointed by the President from among a list of nominees by the two dominant political parties.
The bill also states that the appointed members shall not be members of the same political parties from which the appointees of the President will be selected.
Furthermore, not more than three appointees shall come from any political party but should as much as possible come from the different sectors of society.
Candidates for president and vice president, as well as their relatives within the fourth degree of consanguinity and affinity, shall automatically be disqualified from becoming members of the commission.
The envisioned body shall be in charge of organizing one preliminary debate; not more than two vice presidential debates; and two to four presidential debates. It shall decide on the schedule and format of the debates based on the most effective way to provide the most useful information about the candidates to the voting public.
In addition to holding its own debates, the commission shall closely monitor all other scheduled debates for presidential and vice presidential candidates initiated by the mass media or other government agencies or private organizations, and submit a report evaluating the effectiveness of these events.
Suansing said the measure will help voters choose whom to vote for as presidential and vice presidential candidates will have the opportunity to present their platforms and positions on issues that affect the country, as well as face intrigues that might be raised against them.
She said the commission will “obligate all presidential and vice presidential candidates to participate in the debates, so they should be ready to expound and defend their agendas and platforms during the debates.”
The lawmaker said she is hopeful that her bill, which was filed in December 2014, will be approved by both houses of Congress as soon as possible so the commission can organize the debates for the May 2016 polls.
A counterpart measure, Senate Bill 1797, has been filed by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago in October 2013.
Last week, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it plans to hold debates among presidential candidates in the May 2016 elections in various areas in the country to provide a mechanism for exacting accountability on campaign promises made by those running for the position during the campaign period.
Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said a technical working group had been formed to study this and “come up with mechanisms and guidelines.”
The debate will likely take place after all presidential hopefuls have filed their certificates of candidacies in October.
According to the Fair Elections Act or Republic Act No. 9006, the Comelec can “require national television and radio networks to sponsor at least three national debates among presidential candidates and at least one among vice presidential candidates.”
The last debate organized by the Comelec was in 1992. (MNS)