CEBU CITY, Philippines – Sunday sets the stage for the second leg of the official presidential debates where candidates will again face off – this time, in the vote-rich province of Cebu.

All presidential bets have confirmed their attendance on Sunday except Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. Santiago earlier announced she would be skipping the event because she has to participate in a foreign clinical trial for a new anti-cancer medication. 

The debate, set to be held at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Cebu, will follow a panel format where 5 panelists will challenge the candidates about their positions and platforms on the issues of corruption, climate change, disaster preparedness, education, women’s rights, and health.

Some voters and experts have criticized the format of the first leg, saying it lacked substance because of the restrictive format and time limit. Now given a new format and an extended time to answer, how are the candidates preparing for the big day?

Boy scout Binay  

Analysts saw Vice President Jejomar Binay’s performance during the debate in Cagayan de Oro as lackluster, saying that the long-time politician failed to highlight his achievements and platforms. 

Despite his unimpressive performance, his camp said that he has not changed the way he is preparing for the debate. The Vice President is more motivated, “high in spirits and raring to go,” said his policy adviser Jay Layug.

“Hindi naman po tayo pumapasok sa isang gawain o sa isang bagay na hindi po handa. Alam niyo naman po si VP Binay, boy scout po ‘yan kaya laging handa,” another Binay spokesperson Rico Quicho even quipped. (We do not engage in a task or something when we are not ready. Your know VP Binay, he is a boy scout so he is always ready.) 

But beyond his plans and stand on issues, the Vice President is also expected to again face questions about corruption allegations against him especially since he landed again in the headlines for reportedly receiving billions of pesos as Makati mayor based on an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report.

Asked how he will be answering these issues, Layug said, “As in the past, the VP will only state facts, based on the record, that are truthful and which disprove all of their false and malicious claims.”  

Focus on content   

If the focus during the earlier debate was on the length of time he consumed in answering questions, Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is now beefing up his knowledge by reading up.

“I’m just reading the old materials given to me, issues about the economy and everything. I’m quite prepared for it,” the local executive said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Believing that a robust economy is key to solving the country’s problems, Duterte said he is also trying to overcome his weakness in economics by reading up on international trade, the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and even the World Trade Organization. He has even consulted former finance minister Cesar Virata and UP economics professor Ernesto Pernia.

Duterte’s strongest suit among the debate topics is climate change and disaster preparedness given his ground experience in several natural calamities. He will use to his advantage his knowledge about the El Niño phenomenon in Mindanao and experiences in Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) response in Tacloban and the 1991 flooding tragedy in Ormoc.

The Davao Mayor consistently won the live Rappler polls during the February 20 debate. Will he again emerge as the online crowd favorite on Sunday? 

What to do with Yolanda?

Among the topics for Sunday is disaster preparedness – something that might hit hard on Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II. Roxas, as interior and local government chief, has been widely criticized for the inefficient rehabilitation of areas affected by Yolanda in 2013.

But his camp is not worried the issue will be brought up since it was already discussed during the Mindanao debate. “It’s not exactly a new question. We’re focusing more on articulating our platforms on health and education,” Roxas’ spokesperson Representative Ibarra Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez also said they are preparing their bet for his one-on-one with the candidates. Aside from the panelists, each candidate will be given a chance to toss a question at his or her contender.   

Roxas’ performance during the first debate was notable as observers saw a more aggressive side of him, slamming his contenders’ weaknesses. Rappler editors also declared him winner of the first of 3 rounds for being “concise and straightforward.” Will the ruling party bet again be aggressive for this round?

Like a straight A student

For poll front runner Senator Grace Poe, preparing for this debate is like reviewing for an exam.

Poe arrived in Cebu a day ahead of the event to speak before graduates of the Indiana Aeronautics University in Lapu-Lapu City. The senator had to cut short her speech, admitting to graduates that she still has to “cram” for the big day.

“I still have to review for our debate tomorrow. ‘Yan ang problema pag nagka-cram (That’s the problem when you cram),” she quipped, explaining that the country is a huge archipelago and that there are many issues and facts she has to brush up on.

“Maraming kailangan pag-aralan kaya mamaya magpupuyat na naman kami (There are still a lot of things to study so we will pull an all-nighter again tonight),” she added.

Poe was seen as the most prepared among the candidates during the last debate where she received positive feedback from both social media users and political analysts.

“She studies her facts, she consults the right people for the right solutions to various issues so we are confident that Senator Grace is prepared again,” her campaign manager Ace Durano told reporters. Durano added that Poe is trying to master all topics in preparation for whatever questions panelists ask.

The Visayas leg of the 3-part debate series, which will be hosted by election partners TV-5 and the Philippine Star, will run from 5 pm  to 8 pm on Sunday. The last debate will be on April 20, to be organized by ABS-CBN and The Manila Bulletin.

Vice presidents, on the other hand, will also battle it out on April 10 in the lone vice presidential debate, which will be hosted by CNN Philippines and BusinessMirror. – Rappler.com