MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – It’s not final until it’s final.

Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos may still participate in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) debates if one of his conditions is met.

The Marcos campaign earlier said that the former senator had decided to skip the debates.

The Adobo Chronicles asked Marcos spokesperson Atty. Vic Rodriguez what would change Marcos’ decision.

Rodriguez said that a representative of Comelec, preferably spokesperson James Jimenez, should join the presidential candidates on stage so that they (and the panelists) could ask questions on very serious issues hounding the poll body.

Following the brouhaha surrounding ex- Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, Comelec has been the target of intense criticism about entering into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Rappler, the least- trusted news brand whose CEO Maria Ressa is a convicted criminal and is accused of alleged tax evasion.

Comelec has also been criticized for lack of transparency in the printing of ballots for the May 9, 2022 Philippine elections.

As if those were not enough, a Senate hearing headed by Senator Imee Marcos concluded that Smartmatic, a contractor of Comelec, has been hit with a serious security breach. Comelec has admitted to said breach.

The Comelec debates could yet make it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the debates of the century, featuring not only 100% of the presidential candidates plus the poll body itself.