Philippines

The last six years should have taught us better; instead, it has benefited from and has fueled a well-oiled digital machine of lies and myths.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sunday bared the airdates of the presidential and vice presidential panel interviews.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) assured Sunday its investigation on the scrapped presidential and vice presidential townhall debates will not affect preparations for the May 9 elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is investigating one of its own, no less than its longtime spokesman James Jimenez, over a controversial election debate partnership that resulted in a P14-million debt to a five-star hotel.

Philippines presidential frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Friday turned down his closest rival's challenge to a debate, saying a face-off with Leni Robredo will never happen and he prefers to communicate directly with the public.

Six presidential candidates and four vice presidential candidates have agreed to join in the panel interviews conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), according to Commissioner George Garcia.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) official leading the investigation into the P14-million debate debt fiasco involving its contractor recommended that spokesman and education and information department (EID) chief James Jimenez and his deputy be temporarily relieved of media duties.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) on Thursday signed a partnership agreement to stage a series of panel interviews with presidential and vice presidential candidates in place of the botched PiliPinas Debates.

Only 2 out of 10 presidential candidates have confirmed their participation in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) panel interview hours before the deadline on Thursday.

Elections Commissioner Rey Bulay said he had been unaware until last week of the questionable details of the deal made last March with the organizer of the presidential and vice-presidential debates sponsored by the Commission on Elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has to approve the panelists and their questions for the poll body’s panel interview with the presidential and vice presidential candidates in cooperation with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP).

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rey Bulay on Tuesday said there was something questionable about the deal with its debate contractor Impact Hub Manila, after the poll body’s presidential and vice presidential town hall debates were canceled due to financial issues.