Who won the debate?

FIRST, it was hardly a debate. Second, as with most television programming, commercials ruled the day. Ideally, GMA-7 should have donated free, uninterrupted time for the presidential debate last Sunday at the Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro. Commercial-free, the debate would have had an air of continuity to it.

Eleven minutes into the “debate,” an eight-minute commercial break already interrupted the proceedings. The ads would come in similar, regular intervals.

From my perspective, Mar Roxas and Grace Poe did their homework, although Poe stumbled on the word mag-aangkat when she said magaangkap.

Jojo Binay didn’t say anything new. He, too, mispronounced a hyphenated word: “high-wielding” for “highyielding” crops.

As usual, Rodrigo Duterte had short answers. He agreed with the others more than he disagreed.

Miriam Santiago was economical with her usual histrionics. And she was at a disadvantage because of her limited Tagalog.

Duterte’s and Roxas’ opening statements were effective while Santiago’s closing was good, and to a lesser extent, Roxas’ as well.

The bottom line: Binay didn’t shine at all. He was the most vulnerable because of all the accusations of illegal money-making over his head. But I expect his base of support among the voters will remain intact.

Duterte’s alternately macho and obliging rhetoric probably earned him more supporters. Bottom line: He kept his share of national support.

Roxas may have gained more supporters for his assertive performance. The next preference surveys will tell us if he has done so.

According to the polls, potential voters like Poe because she is a fresh face in politics. And of course she’s Fernando Poe Jr.’s daughter. She didn’t lose any fans by her performance.

We shall also see how the people will rate Santiago’s performance in the next surveys. She spoke mainly in English, and usually above most people’s heads, and that couldn’t have helped her.

As for the moderators, Jessica Soho was steady and alert. Mike Enriquez tried to ad lib but he flubbed his lines. And his scolding of the audience for not applauding was inappropriate. I wonder how the Mindanaoans appreciated being ordered to clap by a Manila-based person.

There were few spontaneous exchanges among the candidates. They should have been allowed to jump in when they had something to say about the topic at hand.

There was no spirited give-andtake. Not much substance. There were no philosophical or policy arguments. The candidates should have been pressed for more details on how to implement their plans and promises.

The next debate sponsors should have learned one or two things to change when their turn comes, like making the debates commercial-free.

So who won? The commercials.