The candidates: (From left) Montemayor, Pacquiao and Vice-President Leni Robredo attending a presidential debate in Manila. — AFP
Nine of the 10 presidential candidates faced off for the first time, fielding questions on government corruption, pandemic response, foreign policy, and their plans for economic recovery, and scrambling to set themselves apart from the competition with two months left in the campaign.
The night was largely bereft of fireworks as most of the contenders avoided taking swipes at each other, except for a few tense exchanges initiated by one of the lesser-known candidates, doctor and lawyer Jose Montemayor Jr, who challenged his rivals at various points, and even criticised the debate for the polite atmosphere and lack of a “contrarian approach”.
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