By JOEY NACALABAN
Correspondent .
ONE of the reasons why many voters opt to sell their votes is because they do not know many of the candidates.
Lihuk Movement and local National Movement for Free Elections chairman Nestor Banuag said this to explain why his group will be holding a series of candidates’ fora this week.
Voters do not know much about the candidates, and this makes it difficult for people to make informed decisions on election day, he said.
“They do not know who the candidates worthy of their votes are. Does he or she have the capacity to be in that position?” Banuag asked rhetorically.
Without the information, Banuag said, voters would have no choice and just opt to receive money from politicians seeking positions.
Earlier, Banuag’s group said nearly half of the city’s voters do not know who the local candidates are.
To help in voters’ education, the group would hold a series of public fora starting tomorrow at Xavier University’s Little Theatre.
Banuag said the gatherings would not be venues for public debates, but would be a questions-and-answers kind of event that would be spread out in three weeks.
The first forum, scheduled tomorrow, would be for candidates for city councilors, including those running as “independents.”
This would be followed with an April 23 forum for congressional candidates (both districts), and then a April 30 forum for mayoral and vice mayoral candidates.
Banuag said members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) here and the Cagayan de Oro Press Club would participate in the fora.
During the fora, he said, candidates would be asked specific questions regarding problems confronting the country and the city.
Banuag said the candidates would also be asked about their reasons for being in politics.
“Pangutan-on sila duna ba silay kapas sa pagdala sa renda sa pang gobyerno o nakasabot ba sila unsa ilang pagabuhaton isip alagad sa katawhan,” Banuag said.
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