Presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao took a swipe to his opponents who are not attending debates for the presidential elections.
Pacquaio said that candidates who are not attending debates or fora should not be trusted and a sign of being incompetent.
The boxing champion said that these candidates are no different from a thief who refuses to undergo a polygraph test but insists he is innocent.
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“Kapag ganyan na umiiwas sa mga face-to-face debate, dapat alam na ng taumbayan na hindi sila dapat pagkatiwalaan. Walang pinagkaiba ‘yan sa mga magnanakaw na ayaw magpa-polygraph test pero todo tanggi sa kanilang ginawang krimen,” Pacquiao said in a statement.
The senator also slammed claims that debates are divisive since this can help in unifying Filipinos.
“Candidates should stop avoiding face-to-face debates to ensure that the electorate would keep on relying on Tiktok, Facebook, and other easily manipulable social media platforms informing their decisions,” Pacquiao said.
“We’ve long been divided because of the traditional political factions like the loyalists and ‘dilawans’ who are constantly at odds since the EDSA revolution. You cannot promise to unite the nation if you cannot even have the guts to face your foes like a man,” he added.
Pacquiao said that he is not afraid to attend debates and explain his platforms.
“Ako wala akong kinatatakutan kahit sinasabi nila na wala raw akong kakayahang mamuno. Hindi ako natatakot dahil malinaw ang aking plano at malinis ang aking hangarin para sa bayan,” he said.
“I’m challenging my fellow presidential candidates: let us have a face-to-face debate. Mas mabuti para sa bayan na tayo ay magharap-harap upang ibahagi ang ating mga posisyon tungkol sa mga pangunahing isyung pambayan. Iba pa rin po kapag face-to-face ang debate dahil dito natin malalaman kung sino ang tunay na tapat at sino ang nagpapanggap,” he said.
