Senator Imee Marcos has advised her brother, presidential candidate Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. to attend some debates as she is getting peeved with the hashtag #MarcosDuwag in social media.

''My brother is not a coward,'' said Marcos in an interview at dwIZ on Saturday. ''He can easily answer these questions. He is smart.''

''He is just sensitive when he faces criticism,'' added his sister.

However, Marcos' running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has said she will not attend any vice presidential debate.

''I already decided that I will do this campaign without joining debates. I will leave it up to our countrymen (to vote for me),'' she said on Saturday. ''If this will change, we will let you know but at this very moment the decision of this campaign is to campaign without joining debates.''

Although Senator Marcos said she ''advised him to show up to some debates'', she has been hearing that the campaign team ''are not given details on the debates. '' The candidate and lawyers have the right to ask what is the format, added the senator.

She said that '' for me, even if you won't show up in all of them (debates), go to some.''

'' A candidate should be transparent, accountable, responsible, open, accessible. listen and answer to their criticism,'' added Marcos.

The younger brother of Senator Marcos, who is leading the presidential surveys by a big margin over Vice President Leni Robredo, has not attended most debates.

He did not show up in Jessica Soho's Presidential Interviews on GMA 7, but attended the network's radio station one-hour program.

He also skipped the CNN Philippines presidential forum at UST but showed up at the SMNI debate. Marcos' spokesman has said if the survey leader will be showing up at the Commission on Election (Comelec) debate on March 20.

The elder sister of the presidential survey frontrunner said the Marcos family has ''faced all their cases and answered them.'' DMS