Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, the presidential candidate, and his running partner, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, have announced they are “seriously considering” skipping the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) final debates, which were postponed due to the organizer’s payment problems.

Lacson and Sotto stated on Friday that they already have defined agendas and that their coordinators have begun planning for their campaign sorties in various regions in the country.

When asked if they would be troubled by losing media mileage by skipping the debates, Lacson and Sotto both said no, with Lacson claiming he had already shown himself in the Comelec’s previous two presidential debates.

“Ako it doesn’t matter, I have proven myself in the last two presidential debates and other forums so it won’t affect me that much. ‘Yung mga naghahabol para ipakita ang kanilang kakayahan sa debates, ‘yun ang dapat manghinayang. Baka ngayon mag-ready sila, makapag-prepare better. But in my case I think I have proven enough,” Lacson stated.

“Kasi may prinsipyo kami. Paano ‘yung mga nag-schedule sa akin na mga kapartido ko bigla kong sasabihin na ‘teka muna postpone tayo.’ Kelan pa? Di ba? Nakakahiya eh. I’d rather sacrifice ‘yung pagkakataon na mga ganyan than be unprincipled as far as kausap,” Sotto stated.