The camp of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. on Sunday balked at the “sudden bravery” of fellow presidential candidate Senator Manny Pacquiao after the latter urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to shun request for advance questions from presidential bets in the upcoming public debates.
Vic Rodriguez, chief of staff and spokesperson of Marcos, the standard bearer of the UniTeam Alliance, in a statement, rejected Pacquiao’s statement.
“When one is applying for a job, he or she is expeected to submit himself to an intensive interview and not to debate or be argumentative with the putative employer,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
“Sen. Pacquiao’s sudden bravery is misplaced. He was given a full six years mandate to showcase his debating prowess but he was too shy to take up those challenges made by some intellectual giants in the Senate,” he pointed out.
“While he should just be minding his own campaign, I thank him nonetheless for expressing interest on how we conduct ours,” Rodriguez stressed.
Except for the SMNI presidential debate—a network backed by controversial religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy—Marcos, Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have yet to participate in any organized presidential debate for the upcoming May 2022 elections.