The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) confirmed that former senator and presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has turned down yet another invitation to appear at a nationwide presidential forum hosted by the country’s major news outlets, reviving the #MarcosDuwag (#MarcosCoward) hashtag that topped Twitter trends a few weeks ago after his famous no-show at the Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews that aired on January 22.
KBP president Herman Basbaño confirmed in an interview with TeleRadyo that only five out of six candidates — senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, Vice President Leni Robredo, labor leader Leody de Guzman, and Manila mayor Isko Moreno — accepted the invitation, and that the Marcos camp had declined due to “scheduling conflicts.”
The KBP (Filipino for Association of Broadcasters in the Philippines) is a broadcast media organization that upholds media regulations and ethics for its members, composed of over 300 broadcast stations nationwide.
The KBP Live Presidential Candidates Forum will see the country’s front-running presidential candidates face off in a forum moderated by star journalists Rico Hizon and Karen Davila.
This follows Marcos Jr.’s no-show at the presidential interviews hosted by veteran journalist Jessica Soho, after Marcos’ camp claimed that the Peabody Award-winning broadcaster was “biased” against the Marcos family — whose members have been tried and convicted of corruption and graft-related cases in local and international courts.
The 64-year-old Marcos, whose running mate is President Duterte’s daughter Sara, has been evading questions about the atrocities that occurred during his father’s 14-year Martial Law. Netizens unearthed an old interview of Marcos Jr. with Soho, with the then-senator getting flustered by the journalist’s questions about Martial Law-era victims.
Only one word to describe this: it starts with “pathe” and ends with “tic”.
— Ash Presto 💜 (@sosyolohija) November 1, 2021
pic.twitter.com/wXARGzFleA
Through the hashtag #MarcosDuwagPaRin (#MarcosStillACoward), netizens roasted Marcos Jr. on the litany of excuses he has given for his absence during significant events, including his disqualification case filed with the Commission on Elections for his supposed non-payment of taxes.
Live interview/hearing reasons:
— Marc (@atlarge2020) February 3, 2022
1. Comelec- Zoomicron
2. Luminous – Bandwidth issue
3. GMA – Biased host
4. DZBB – Cannot be reached
5. KBP – Conflict in schedule
Very creative reasons, no?
Pag binyag, kasal, birthday and parties – 100% attendance? #MarcosDuwag
BBM camp knows what they’re doing, declining invites & postponing interviews for the silliest reasons. They don’t mind the backlash of the non-attendance compared to risk of having an incompetent, hollow vessel, and loose cannon that is Marcos Jr. #MarcosDuwag #MarcosDuwagParin❗️
— Ashley A.⁷ 🌈🦔 (@ashleyp3rdiem) February 3, 2022
Twitter users also called attention to reports about an alleged assassination plot against Marcos that was found on TikTok, which surfaced in the days leading up to the Comelec’s decision on Marcos’ disqualification case.
Marcos cited the assassination plot against him from Tiktok.
— Lean Porquia #ResistTheFascist (@IanMakabayan) January 30, 2022
Imagine his administration running after anyone against his government and citing Tiktok as evidence.
The height of cowardice exemplified.#MarcosDuwag
Reasons why #BobongMarcos hasn’t been able to attend hearings and live interviews so far:
— JR Santiago (@oslecjunior) January 30, 2022
1. Exposure to COVID and SINAT
2. Biased journalist
3. No signal in Davao
What’s next?
4. Assassination plot over at TikTok #MarcosNumber1Sinungaling #MarcosDuwagParin
The KBP Live Presidential Candidates Forum airs tomorrow.
