The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the presidential debates for the 2022 polls will be held online.
In a television interview, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez confirmed their preparations for the debates are now ongoing.
Comelec opted to break tradition in holding the presidential debate live amid the ongoing novel coronavirus disease pandemic (Covid-19).
Aside from a change in format, Jimenez said there will also be no live audience during the virtual debate.
He, however, assured the event will be made accessible to the public.
Last May, Comelec said it was considering several formats for the online debates to minimize the risk of infection among its participants.
One of the said options is a hybrid format, wherein candidates will be debating live in a venue, while the audience will view it online.
Another format was to allow the candidates to debate onsite, which will be then witnessed by a limited number of audience.