The camp of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that the reason why the presidential candidate has been skipping media interviews and debates was his insistence on honoring his promise to meet with various local leaders as well as his participation in campaign rallies.
Lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos Jr.'s spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday, March 8 that Marcos Jr. was ready to "take the consequences for not attending the debates and media fora, but not the loss of trust of his leaders and supporters with whom he had confirmed appointments".
Rodriguez made the statement in response to former Quezon 4th district Rep. Erin Tañada, who said that "the presidency is not a game of hide-and-seek" and that Marcos Jr. must attend debates because "it is about honoring commitments".
"Mr. Tanada is perfectly right in saying that leadership is about honoring commitments—the very same reason why presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos cannot be in two different places at one given time," Rodriguez countered.
Marcos Jr.'s spokesperson also belied Tanada's claims that the presidential aspirant does not attend interviews by saying he "has been accepting media interviews and joining presidential fora whenever his tight campaign schedules would allow".
"His participation in the Boy Abunda, Korina Sanchez, DZRH, DZBB, and TV5 presidential interviews and the SMNI debate will disprove Mr. Tanada's assertion,” Rodriguez said.
In an interview with reporters in Bulacan on Tuesday, Rodriguez said they are still finalizing their decision on Marcos Jr.’s participation in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) debate.
He said they will make an announcement by the end of the week.