Marcos Jr. Skips Another Presidential Forum

(1st UPDATE) The presidential frontrunner has been slammed for refusing to face interviews that would shatter his camp’s controlled narrative of ‘positivity’ and ‘unity’

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will skip his second major presidential forum, turning down the top news agencies that make up the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) supposedly due to a scheduling conflict.

KBP President Herman Basbaño confirmed this on DZMM radio on Thursday, February 3.

“The imbitasyon hindi nagtanggap ng ating is former senator Bongbong Marcos. Letter from mai naman sila declining the invitation, it was because of scheduling conflicts nila”, Basbaño told DZMM.

(The one who didn’t accept our invitation is former senator Bongbong Marcos. They have a letter refusing the invitation, it was because of conflicts in their schedules.)

Labor leader Leody de Guzman, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senator Manny Pacquiao and Vice President Leni Robredo will attend the forum, which will be broadcast live.

In a statement Thursday, Marcos spokesman Vic Rodriguez said: “While we look forward to [to] BBM’s participation in this event, its current schedules prevent us from hosting [their] request.”

This is the second time Marcos Jr. has turned down a major independently hosted forum, following the GMA News presidential interviews hosted by veteran reporter Jessica Soho.

In refusing the GMA interview, Marcos Jr. claimed that Soho was “anti-Marcos” and therefore “biased”. The presidential frontrunner has been criticized for refusing to face interviews that would break their controlled narrative of ‘positivity’ and ‘unity’.

Basbaño said they have been preparing and sending out invitations since early December 2021.

The KBP Presidential Forum will air at 9 a.m. on Friday, February 4 and will be carried by member news outlets like ABS-CBN News, CNN Philippines and News 5.

The forum, which will not be a debate format, will be moderated by ABS-CBN anchor Karen Davila and CNN Philippines anchor Rico Hizon.

The panelists are: Ed Lingao of News 5, Roby Alampay of One News, Elmar Acol of Bombo Radyo and Dan Andrew Cura of the Far East Broadcasting Company.

Media blitz after the backlash

Following the backlash over Soho snobbery, Marcos Jr. gave four interviews last week, with media group ALC, One PH, entertainment host Boy Abunda and DZRH.

The interviews revealed his liberal views on abortion, his foreign policy where he is ready to set aside the historic decision in The Hague in favor of concluding a bilateral agreement with China, and a policy of exporting labor, among others. He also flip-flopped on the issue of publicly releasing his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Marcos Jr. was supposed to have his fifth interview with GMA’s DZBB radio but was suddenly incognito to his media team on the morning of the Friday January 28 interview.

Retired Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon had revealed the night before that she had voted to disqualify Marcos Jr. Guanzon said the four times Marcos failed to file his income tax returns (ITRs) from 1982 to 1985 in serving as vice-governor and then governor of Ilocos Norte constituted a crime of moral turpitude.

The division that Guanzon left, the first division of Comelec, had not yet made a decision. Having withdrawn on Wednesday, February 2, Guanzon’s vote would no longer count in a three-way split.