Labor leader and presidential candidate Leodegario “Ka Leody” De Guzman has chimed in on the one-on-one debate challenge issued by rival candidate Vice President Leni Robredo versus Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
De Guzman wants in.

“Maganda ang hamon ni Leni kay Bongbong na magharap sa isang debate (Leni’s challenge to Bongbong to a head to head debate is good),” De Guzman said in a tweet on Friday, April 29.
“Pero mas makabuluhan kung isasama tayo sa debate upang masiguradong hindi maisasantabi ang mga batayang isyu ng masa at mga konkretong solusyon para dito. Yun ang exciting part para sa simpleng tao (But, it would be better if we were included too to ensure that the issues of the masses and solutions to these issues aren’t pushed aside. For the simple people, that’s the exciting part),” De Guzman explained.
This, after VP Robredo declined to participate in the Comelec-KBP Pilipinas Forum 2022.
VP Robredo instead issued a one-on-one debate challenge to Marcos Jr.
Read more here: https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/29/robredo-to-skip-comelecs-panel-interview-challenges-marcos-to-a-debate/
“We owe it to the people and to our country. Kung papayag po kayo, anytime, anywhere, darating ako (If you agree, I will be there anytime, anywhere),” VP Robredo said in an April 29 statement.
However, regular debate absentee Marcos Jr. rejected the challenge. More specifically, Marcos’s spokesperson Atty. Vic Rodriguez issued a statement declining the offer.
Read more here: https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/29/marcos-camps-rejects-robredos-debate-dare-slam-dilawans/
“Sa debate na hamon kay presidential frontrunner Bongbong Marcos ay hindi ito kailanman mangyayari sa ilang kadahilanan. At batid ni Ginang Robredo ang mga kadahilanang ‘yan (The challenge of debate against Bongbong Marcos will never happen due to several reasons. And Mrs. Robredo knows those reasons),” Rodriguez said on April 29.
UniTeam bet Marcos Jr. has been a consistent absentee in presidential debates, only attending a debate hosted by Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).
Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) presidential candidate De Guzman also made it a point to show up at the SMNI debate last February.