Presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao on Thursday, Nov. 11 welcomed the announcement of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to allow limited face-to-face campaigning should lockdown restrictions be eased further with the decline in COVID-19 cases.

“This is a welcome development. There's nothing better than meeting people face-to-face and convincing them to vote for you in the coming election,” Pacquiao said in a statement.

"Nandiyan naman tayo sa Facebook, Twitter at iba pang social media, pero iba and personal contact sa mga botante. Pwede mong ipaliwanag ang iyon opinyon sa iba't-ibang isyu na kinakaharap natin ngayon, tulad ng korapsyon at kahirapan (We're on Facebook, Twitter and other social media, but I prefer personal contact with people because you can explain your stand on various issues, such as corruption and poverty),” the senator said.

Pacquiao, who is running for president under the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban), said he prefers face-to-face campaigning so people can feel a candidate’s sincerity.

“Mas maganda pa rin talaga ang face-to-face campaign kasi mas makikita nila yung tunay na pagkatao mo at yung mga kumakandidato naman mas nararamdaman nila yung pinagdadaanan ng mga mga tao (face-to-face campaigning is better because people will see through you, and the candidates themselves can personally feel what the people are going through),” he said.

“Pag virtual kasi paramihan lang sila ng mga bayaran na trolls at yung mga tao naman nadadala sa mga fake news (If done virtually, chances are they will just hire trolls and the people will just be swayed by fake news),” Pacquiao said.

The Comelec said it is still finalizing its guidelines on limited in-person campaigning and will release it within the month.

Nevertheless, the poll body encourageed all candidates in the upcoming May 2022 elections to be creative in reaching out to the electorate both through traditional media and social media platforms.