MANILA - Five presidential aspirants are set to face off at a presidential forum organized by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) which will be aired Friday morning.

Vice President Leni Robredo, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Francicso "Isko Moreno" Domagoso, and labor leader Leody de Guzman are set to participate in the forum, which will air on over 300 KBP stations nationwide.

"It will be the first time for the five presidential candidates to appear together in a live nationwide radio and television broadcast to present their qualifications and platforms of government to the people," KBP President Herman Basbaño said in a statement.

Presidential aspirant, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the only son and namesake of the former dictator, will not join the forum due to conflict in schedule, Basbaño earlier said.

• Bongbong Marcos skips KBP Forum due to conflict in schedule

In a separate statement, his chief of staff Atty. Vic Rodriguez said that although they have been looking forward to Marcos Jr.'s participation in the event, his schedule prevents him from attending the February 4 forum.

"We look forward to engaging with similar KBP initiatives in the future," Rodriguez added.

The multi-platform forum will be moderated by Rico Hizon (CNN Philippines) and Karen Davila (ABS-CBN). Meanwhile, the panelists are Bombo Elmar (Bombo Radyo Philippines), Roby Alampay (OnePH), Dan Andrew Cura (FEBC) and Ed Lingao (TV5).

"The KBP members are working together in carrying out the project as a public service," Basbaño added.

"The forum will be aired and livestreamed by over 300 KBP stations nationwide, including the following major organizing networks: TV5, Cignal, CNN Philippines, A2Z, ABS-CBN, Bombo Radyo, Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC), Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), and Radyo Pilipino.

Local KBP will also send questions to the candidates, Basbaño said.

"The broadcast will also be carried on various cable, satellite and digital platforms," Basbaño added.

It will be streamed live on the following ABS-CBN platforms: ANC, TeleRadyo, ABS-CBN News Youtube channel and Facebook page and the ABS-CBN News website.

IMPORTANCE OF DEBATE

Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chair Myla Villanueva said it is the responsibility of all candidates in the upcoming elections to spend as much time engaging the public through debates and other fora.

She made the statement in response to a question on Marcos Jr.'s move to skip the KBP forum.

“We are non-partisan, I have to repeat this. But we really do encourage the candidates to share their time with us. Tomorrows event is with all of you, all trusted media. We would like to encourage all of the candidates to share as much information.

"It is also nice to have a conversation with them. I do hope he will change his mind, and for all of the candidates to continue to attend these fora," she added.

Villanueva was speaking at the launch of eboto.ph, a free online repository of voting information, which includes fact checked and verified information on presidential candidates. eboto.ph’s beta version is now live, and it is expected to be officially launched in a week’s time.

eboto.ph, an interactive voter education website, is an initiative of Pinas Forward, which is backed by major partners Globe Telecom, the Department of Education, Junior Chamber International Philippines, the Philippine Association for Media and Information Literacy, the Philippine Mental Health Association, the National Association of UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines, and various schools.

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- With reports from Warren de Guzman, ABS-CBN News