Vic Rodriguez, spokesperson for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., has confirmed that the presidential candidate is skipping yet another presidential interview conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), citing a “tight campaign schedule” with days to go before the May 9 polls.
“With less than two weeks before the May 9 elections, presidential frontrunner Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has decided to forego his participation in the Comelec’s presidential panel interview,” Rodriguez said in a statement, adding that the presidential interviews were their preferred format instead of the “noisy, confrontational debates.”
Marcos Jr. has not attended a single Comelec-hosted presidential debate or forum, and has previously declined various interviews and debates held by leading media organizations such as the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines), GMA News, and CNN.
READ: Bongbong Marcos skips CNN debate, confirms attendance at debate with Quiboloy-owned network
To date, the candidate has only accepted invitations to debates held by radio station DZRH and the Apollo Quiboloy-owned SMNI, as well as an interview for Rated Korina with Korina Sanchez, and the ABS-CBN interviews conducted by Boy Abunda.
Even Marcos’ own sister, Senator Imee, has asked Bongbong to attend the debates.
The candidate also got in hot water after he delayed his own disqualification hearing before Comelec while the poll body’s officials waited for him to submit a medical certificate excusing his absence. A medical certificate from his personal doctor said that Marcos Jr. had “difficulty in speaking and a painfully congested throat” the day before the hearing — only for a radio interview taped the same day to surface, showing that he was well.
With less than two weeks to go before the elections, all we can say is — what else is new?
