VICE presidential candidate Vicente Sotto III said that he is prepared to face his rivals in debates because he will have a better chance to lay out his plans to uplift the lives of the Filipinos.

The Senate president said that he has been informing the public as early as August last year what he and his running mate, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, intend to do to improve the lives of Filipinos.

“Sa amin kasi for ilang months na ito, August pa of 2021 sinasabi na namin mga gusto naming gawin. Kaya natutuwa ako lately narinig ko ibang kandidato sinasabi ang sinasabi namin. Na-echo nila,” Sotto said.

On February 26, CNN Philippines will host a vice presidential debate to be attended by seven candidates — Sotto, former Rep. Walden Bello, Manny SD Lopez, Rizalito David, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Carlos Serapio, and Dr. Willie Ong.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Rep. Lito Atienza will not attend the event.

On February 27, the same network will host a presidential debate with nine of the 10 candidates expressing their willingness to participate. They are Lacson, Leody de Guzman, Ernesto Abella, Jose Montemayor Jr., Norberto Gonzales, Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao, Faisal Mangondato, Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso, and Leni Robredo.

Former Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. had said that he will skip the debate citing conflict of schedule.

Sotto said debates are the best forum in which candidates can woo the voters since it will bring out the best, or the worst, in them.

He said people can have a better appreciation of a candidate’s perspective once they watch the debates.