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| Photo credit to Manika Times |
I have watched the Comelec Presidential Debate online aired around 7 p.m. tonight. I believed every candidate present tried to answer and respond to every question thrown at them by the moderator Luchie Cruz-Valdez.
While I have my personal favorite, I noticed presidential candidate Jose Montemayor Jr., who happens to be a doctor and a lawyer was a disappointment. I think the Comelec should have disqualified Montemayor in the race early on as he would not be able to pull his national candidacy.
Also, Montemayor appears to be grandstanding from the start of the debate until the end. It was also very evident that he lacked the knowledge necessary for any presidential candidate to see and understand the issue affecting the Filipinos, or Mr. Montemayor just failed to prepare for the debate? He was corrected two or three times by Mayor Isko and rebutted twice by Pacquiao.
On the contrary, I admired the wit and grasp on the national issues shown by Pacquiao despite the absence of outstanding educational background. He obviously did his homework and study well for the debate.
As for the former National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, he was so adamant to present his program of governance in case he made it to the presidency, as he believed he was among the unpopular candidates so why waste time? But the fact that he attended the debate, he should have maximize the opportunity, and shown to the Filipinos that he is a better alternative. Meanwhile, for Faisal Mangondato, he could have used the local dialect or english language whichever he is comfortable as he was always short of time explaining in Tagalog/Filipino.
I also appreciate independent candidate Ernie Abella including his programs and stance on various issues. I hope whoever will win in the presidential derby would also consider the talent of Abella in the cabinet after the one year ban in the appointment.
Sen. Ping Lacson, as always has been very articulate. I believe he, too must be given a posts in the cabinet in case he don't make it to the elections. As for VP Leni, I am a rooting for her, and the way she carries herself and respond to all the questions speaks very well of her as a leader and as the next best candidate for a president. And to quote VP Leni, "The Best Man for the Job is a Woman," end of quote.