The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday, April 11, signed a memorandum of agreement with the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) for the Pilipinas Debates 2022.

In a statement, the poll body said this is for the state university to participate in the pooling of questions for the upcoming Pilipinas Debates.

The Comelec said education will be among the topics up for discussion in the succeeding Presidential and Vice Presidential Town Halls, along with social issues and the digital frontier.

"For this purpose, PLM intends to serve as the sectoral representative of the academe in connection with the Pilipinas Debates 2022. Additionally, PLM will send four representatives in the roundtable discussion which follows right after the conclusion of each Debate. The debate roundtable features experts in the topics of each Debate, who will weigh in on the answers of the candidates," the poll body said.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said with education being one of the sectors that was disrupted due to the pandemic, the country's next leaders must have a clear plan on how to move forward keeping in mind the best interest of Filipino learners.

"The inputs and insights from a respected state university like PLM are sure to yield a discussion agenda that will make for an interesting and fruitful debate," he said.

For his part, Comelec Commissioner Rey Bulay said their agreement with PLM symbolizes "our fervent drive to inculcate to our electorate and our candidates the value of education." "With this principle as our compass, and with experts in the academe - from the PLM - to provide insights on the discussions during the Pilipinas Debates 2022, we are encouraging our fellow Filipino voters to participate in policy-based elections," he said during the MOA signing in Manila.

The Vice Presidential Town Hall will be held on April 23, and the Presidential Town Hall on April 24. Both at Sofitel Tent in Pasay City.