2019 Otso Diretso sa Inidoro Liberal Party losing candidate Chel Diokno is running for the Senate once more in 2022. Having largely been ignored by the voting public by finishing in number 21 position in the midterm elections with more than six million votes, Diokno was eight million votes shy of the Magic 12 list of winners.

For 2022, Diokno is again badly trailing behind in poll surveys. Perhaps as an indication of desperation, Chel Diokno issued a challenge to debate with President Duterte (who at some point indicated an intention to run for vice president then slid down to run for senator but finally backed out from running for national office in 2022).

Had President Digong accepted the Diokno challenge, Chel would have already won political points even before the actual debate started. Had the debate pushed through and had Chel given a good account of himself, then more voters may have considered putting him in their ballots in May 2022. But it was NOT to be. President Duterte, the veteran politician, did not bite. Digong had nothing to gain even if he had demolished Chel in the debate. If Chel managed to score debate points, then he would have shouted out to the whole world that he had beaten Du30 (in a debate) and he would crow about it throughout the whole campaign period. If Chel was beaten, gored and mauled by President Duterte in the verbal tussle, Chel would then package himself as the victim of persecution by the current administration and appeal to the Filipino electorate propensity of rooting for the underdog.

Challenging the President of the Republic of the Philippines to a debate was a crude campaign gimmick done by a political pygmy (who wants to come out as a David) against Duterte alias Goliath. Only losers and the powerless resort to such cheap tricks and it only further exposed the Chel Diokno WEAKNESS.