As expected, Manny Pacquiao will once again come home to a hero’s welcome when he arrives from his completed mission against heretofore unknown Jorge Solis.
But immediately after the confetti and the back-slapping, the Pacman plunges into a less-hospitable atmosphere, as he finally gets his feet wet in the murky Philippine political waters.
So far, he has not really gotten a taste of what an honest-to-goodness political campaign is like. It is most certainly not the kind he has experienced so far—shaking hands and breaking bread with political wards who have pledged their undying allegiance to him. That’s the nice part.
The real fight begins when he arrives in his native South Cotabato and faces the enemy. He would be wise not to treat his opponent lightly, although she is barely a wisp of a lady in Darlene Antonino-Custodio. The two-term congresswoman is steeped in tradition—three generations of politicians and a whole slew of friends and relations who breathe, live and thrive in politics. She was born and raised in it, and continues to revel in the twists and turns of the life of a public servant.
But we put the cart before the horse. We should not even be talking of the life of a public servant yet, vis-?-vis Manny Pacquiao. We first need to address the process of getting to be one for the boxing icon.
The vagaries of the campaign trail have yet to be unveiled before our hero. He will have to cope with the hectic schedule of caucuses, strategic planning, sorties, campaign speeches, not to mention countless hours of listening to other people’s problems and endless pleas for money, money and more money. All these he has to go through with a smile, a shrug and an even temperament, not the left hook and the killer punch he normally resorts to when confronted with a problem in his fistic campaigns.
No, Manny will not be allowed to do what he does best- which is getting mad, getting even or getting physical in the face of an attack. In the political world, that would be like letting your guard down. And that certainly will not do as politicians, like boxers, have cat-quick reflexes and will immediately pounce at the smallest opening.
While Manny is undoubtedly physically prepared for the grind, his adjustment to the other nuances of politicking remains to be seen. How he will conduct himself in the light of numerous demands on his time, finances, patience and capacity to resolve the myriad problems that will be posed to him, will bear watching.
When asked why he is running, he consistently responds with his avowed desire to uplift the lot of his people. When pressed on the how, he points to his friendship with personalities in the corridors of power whom he believes he could persuade to deliver more basic services for his folk. Presumably, his powerful friends will see that his district’s needs have to be addressed ahead of all others because of what he has done for the country as a boxer.
Widely perceived to be generous in sharing his good fortune, Manny correctly argues he cannot be forever digging into his own pocket for the dole-outs everyone expects from him. He postulates that the national coffers would be better suited for such acts of mercy, and as congressman he would naturally have access to it. I wonder how he plans to contend with the Commission on Audit and its stringent rules. Hopefully, his certificate from the Department of Education will come in handy.
Unfortunately, there is no training for these fights. Freddie Roach, Justine Fortune or Buboy Fernandez will be of little help in Pacquiao’s corner this time. Instead, he will have to rely on advice from political allies. However, most of them will also be busy fighting their own wars. He presumably has a team of in-house political advisers who will have the unenviable task of opening his eyes to the realities of the situation. Lotsa luck to them too.
However this venture turns out, it is prayed that Manny Pacquiao comes out of it with heart and soul intact, and still up to the tasks that the rest of the nation and the world feels he needs to address. The list of personalities waiting to be attended to grows…Marquez, Barrera, Soto, Guzman, Valero, et al.
Will the distinguished gentleman from South Cotabato yield? Or will the political battle take the starch out of the current world pound-for-pound king?
And which MP will the gang trade blows with- Manny Pacquiao the boxer, or with the added appellation-Member of Parliament?
