The conduct of former Akbayan representative Walden Bello during the first minutes of the CNN Philippines’ vice-presidential debates earned online comments among some viewers.
The media network is hosting the debates on February 26 from 5 p.m. onwards at the University of Santo Tomas‘ Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Those in attendance are Bello, Rizalito David, economist Manny SD Lopez, physician Willie Ong, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Senate President Tito Sotto III and lawyer Carlos Serapio.
Rep. Lito Atienza (Buhay party-list) and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio did not attend.
Atienza just underwent a health procedure while Duterte-Carpio followed the lead of her running mate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in choosing to skip the debate.
Bello’s name entered local Twitter’s top trending list on Saturday evening after assertively rebutting other vice presidential candidates for their comments.
He took a swipe at Pangilinan and Sotto on the Duterte administration’s “War on Drugs” and China’s presence in the West Philippine Sea, among others.
A moment of this was shared by actress Gab Pangilinan, specifically when one of the debate hosts, journalist Rico Hizon, was intervening in a heated moment.
“How calm are we, on a scale of Bello to Pangilinan,” she tweeted, sharing a video.
how calm are we, on a scale of Bello to Pangilinan 💪#7KikoPangilinanVicePresident#KikoAngManokKo#CNNPHVPDebate pic.twitter.com/7KiCLEsPC5
— gab (@gabpangilinan) February 26, 2022
Others similarly noted Bello’s demeanor.
“Walden Bello chose violence today,” a Twitter user said.
The phrase “choose violence” is part of the “wake up and choose violence” catchphrase on the internet which is used to describe a person “who is particularly mean-spirited or chaotic,” according to a meme-centered website.
Walden Bello at the debates pic.twitter.com/tAtX6RyMBH
— Mica (@SpongyMica) February 26, 2022
“Attack mode si Lolo Walden,” another user likewise wrote.
“I would like to have what Walden Bello is having,” a different Filipino quipped with a beer emoji.
Others joked that Ong, a cardiologist, should prepare high blood pressure medications.
“Walden Bello is having a high blood. Doc Willie Ong should prepare a medicine for him. #CNNPHVPDebate,” a Twitter user wrote.
“Doc Willie, ihanda mo ang Calcibloc para kay Walden Bello,” a Twitter account wrote with a laughing-with-tears emoji.
Labor leader Leody de Guzman, Bello’s running mate, also noticed the latter’s demeanor in the debates and said that he was “hyper.”
at the #CNNPHVPDebate hyper si @WaldenBello hahaha pic.twitter.com/mTdoN2pZJK
— Ka Leody de Guzman (@LeodyManggagawa) February 26, 2022
The media network at 6:14 p.m. tweeted that it had “temporarily” turned off Bello’s microphone to prevent him from “interrupting other candidates.”
Bello was “going against debate rules that (were) earlier agreed upon,” it said.
He previously caught online attention for hurling an expletive at another presidential bet in a televised interview.
