Running mates Senator Panfilo Lacson announced on Monday that he and his running mate, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III will not be joining the debate hosted by Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).
"With all due respect and giving regard to common sense, SP Tito Sotto and I are skipping the SMNI debates," Lacson said on Twitter.
"The network's chairman, Pastor [Apollo] Quiboloy, has already openly endorsed his preferred presidential and vice-presidential candidates," he added.
Lacson referred to Quiboloy's endorsement of former senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Davao Mayor Sara Duterte for the presidential and vice-presidential posts.
Quiboloy even forecasted that the Marcos-Duterte tandem will have a "landslide" win in the upcoming May election.
Quiboloy, the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is currently on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's wanted list for sex and labor trafficking charges.
The controversial pastor's SMNI is set to hold its own presidential debate on Tuesday, where Marcos Jr. said he will be attending.
