February 3 at 5 pm PST/ Feb 4 at 9 am PHL Time
STOP whatever it is you are doing on February 3, Thursday at 5 p.m. PT and watch “PANATA SA BAYAN: The 2022 Presidential Candidates Forum” to know who can and will possibly be the next President of the Philippines. This is especially important if you are a dual citizen like this author, and/or you have family in the Philippines whose lives will be very much affected by this very consequential election happening on May 9, 2022.
This first Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) forum, simulcast over 300 member stations of the KBP, will give you the chance to get to know six Presidential candidates: Vice President and Former Representative Atty. Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Former Senator and Ilocos Norte Governor Bongbong Marcos, Former Senator and PNP Chief Panfilo Lacson, Representative and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and unionist/labor rights activist Ka Leody de Guzman.
With the highly divided nation in the age of social media and fake news, a lot of us do not really have the opportunity to earnestly get to know these candidates who are applying for the position of President of the Philippines — the most powerful position in the nation accorded with public trust. Who will be the true tried and tested leader and public servant who deserve our trust and our vote?
The future of our Motherland in the next six years and even thereafter depends on this election because votes have consequences not only in the near six years but even beyond that. The results will have tremendous effect on the lives, health, safety, education, opportunities, and values system of people, not only of this generation but of the succeeding ones.
The May 9, 2022 elections will also define who we are as a nation and as a people because we make a decision based on our values, we pick the candidate who shares the same values. We elect the next President and Commander-in-Chief of the Philippines based on what we know about them — their qualifications, their personality, their character, their achievements, their vision, and the programs and initiatives they will put forward to help our lives become better and our democracy stronger.
This forum will be the first time we will see them all together in one platform, unfiltered, unscripted, unedited. We will listen to how they answer to the hard questions we hope the moderators and panelists will ask all off them, and we will pay attention to the content and substance of their responses, as well as on their demeanor and attitude as they present their positions to the Filipino people. This will be the first of the series of debates for both President and Vice-President in the near future, leading up to election day.
The 2022 Presidential Candidates Forum will be moderated by Rico Hizon of CNN Philippines and Karen Davila of ABS-CBN.
Panelists include: Elmer Acol of Bombo Radyo; Roby Alampay of One News; Dan Andrew Cura of Far East Broadcasting Company; and Ed Lingao of TV-5.
Make an informed decision. Watch this forum and subsequent debates before casting your sacred vote as a responsible and conscientious citizen of the Philippines.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
