On Friday, April 29, 2022 from 5:30 to 10:30 PM, the Catanduanes Electorate should take time to watch, either in person or online, the Provincial Candidates’ Forum sponsored by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in cooperation with the COMELEC provincial office and other partner agencies and institutions.
Should voters find the unpredictable weather and the expected five-hour duration not to their liking, they should view the event in the comfort of their homes via Facebook pages of the Diocese of Virac, the Catanduanes Tribune and Bicol Peryodiko, among others.
A week earlier, the organizers asked Catandunganon voters to send relevant questions they would like the provincial candidates running for congressman down to provincial board member.
The submitted questions will undergo screening by a panel and classified according to issues, with irrelevant questions discarded. Questions from the audience at the venue will no longer be entertained.
Under the ground rules, candidates for the position of Congressman, Governor, and Vice Governor will be earmarked with five (5) minutes to present their individual flagship/priority programs and platform of governance.
On the other hand, each candidate for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in the East and West districts will be allotted three (3) minutes to present their flagship/priority programs.
It will be the candidates for provincial board who will go first, with those seeking the Congress seat reserved for the last call.
The candidates for SP seats will be asked with one (1) common question to be answered in one (1) minute.
Three questions will be asked of the candidates for Congressman, Governor, and Vice-Governor, with the same time of one minute for each answer.
A common question addressed to anyone of the candidates and based on issues raised by online questions may be asked by the Board of Panelists.
All candidates would be well advised to attend the forum, as it promises to reach a bigger audience during its live coverage compared to the Diskutiran Catanduanes Townhall Debate 2022 at the CatSU auditorium last April 19.
At the Diskutiran, only one of the candidates for congressman, governor and vice governor did not show up. Randy “Balbas” Tanael was reportedly campaigning at the time in Caramoran town.
Those present presented their accomplishments and platforms of governance and then answered questions from the panel and the audience, with only Atty. Oliver Rodulfo coming to the rostrum without notes.
Their stand on various issues of this campaign, as well as the candidates’ statements in Friday’s candidates’ forum will be published in the May 4, 2022 issue of this paper.
It is fervently hoped by the organizers that the electorate, especially those who have long based their preferences on the amounts given them by the candidates, would learn something that would guide them how to choose their leaders for the next three years.