It’s unlikely for Nancy Binay to engage Risa Hontiveros in a debate

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidate Nancy Binay has been skipping the senatorial fora sponsored by media networks and other election NGOs. This appears to be a deliberate strategy of her campaign to shield her from closer and deeper public scrutiny, inasmuch as she is obviously incapable of articulating policy positions on the various national issues confronting our country. It is also quite obvious that she does not possess the credentials, the intelligence, the training, the discipline and the skills necessary to engage other candidates in a public debate on any of the important public policy issues of the day.

This is the reason she turned down the challenge of Team PNoy senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros to a debate and instead offered to debate with Risa, if and when, both of them shall have become senators of the republic.

Nancy simply cannot match Risa. A debate with Risa will be disastrous to Nancy’s candidacy as it will expose her lack of substance as a national candidate vying for an all-important Senate seat. Despite a no-show on these senatorial fora and the obvious lack of qualifications and credentials to become senator, she still rates high in the preelection surveys owing mainly to the Binay dynastic name while Risa, whose academic qualifications, political credentials, track record and advocacies are much more impressive, is out the Senate’s magic 12.

—FERDIE T. SIBAL,

18 Green Leaves St., Capitol Green Village,

Tandang Sora, Quezon City