Philippine presidential debate erupts in exchanges on graft
The second of three debates organised by the Commission on Elections in the vote-rich central province of Cebu aims to shift the public’s focus toward policy debate
A Philippine presidential debate erupted into heated exchanges on Sunday over allegations of corruption, a lack of patriotism and incompetence hurled against the leading candidates in a tight race to lead their poor and divided nation.
The second of three debates, held in the central Philippines’ vote-rich Cebu province, aimed to shift the public’s focus toward policy debate and programmes to confront social ills. The four main contenders in the May 9 elections, however, often used the nationally televised debate to exchange personal attacks.
President Benigno Aquino III ends his six-year term in June. Under Aquino, the economy has been growing steadily but daunting challenges remain, including corruption and poverty, issues that figured prominently in Sunday’s three-hour debate.
Among the first to square off were Senator Grace Poe, who has led in pre-poll surveys, and Vice-President Jejomar Binay. Poe sniped at Binay for failing to attend a Senate inquiry into allegations of large-scale corruption against him when he was still mayor of the financial district of Makati city.
Binay lashed back by questioning Poe’s love of her country because she once renounced her Filipino citizenship and became a US citizen to live with her family in the United States.
You [Poe] always say you’re a true Filipino, but how can you be one when you took an oath to become an American and you abjured, you were ashamed of where you came from
“You always say you’re a true Filipino, but how can you be one when you took an oath to become an American and you abjured, you were ashamed of where you came from,” Binay said.