ONE question for Manny Pacquiao fans and critics alike: how come “the People’s Champ” failed to make any significant stance, much less issued some comments, on the death of Filipino boxer Lito Sisnorios even before the onset of his intensified training in the US for yesterday’s title fight with Mexican upstart Jorje Solis?
While one understands that the flurry of campaign and training activities may have left Pacquiao somewhat drained and too busy to make any significant statement on Sisnorio’s death, at least, he could have sent one from his boxing reps to the national or local media.
That way he could at least show some solidarity with fellow boxers and use his clout to pressure the national government and its agencies like the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) to take more concrete action to prevent similar mishaps like what befell the Filipino boxer in his fight that led to his tragic death.
In fact much as it is distasteful, the Sisnorios case can be used as a rallying cry by Pacquiao’s camp to advocate and pursue a sports development program for all athletes in his election campaign.
As it is, his election advisers–either paid by Pacquiao’s backers or directly by the “Pambansang Kamao (National Fist)”–are giving him trapo or traditional politician advice like buying barangay officials a motorcycle or two.
That’s according to the Black and White Movement, which included the People’s Champ in its black list of candidates for this year’s elections.
Whether or not yesterday title fight which Pacquiao managed to win convincingly amid a dangerous head butt was intended to promote the champion’s candidacy or not was somewhat settled when the Commission on Elections (Comelec) banned the broadcast of the title fight in General Santos City, where’s Pacquiao is supposed to run.
Granting that, there is radio and the Internet and residents there can watch the fight just near the outskirts of General Santos so the effectivity of that ban can at best be limited.
While one wished victory anew for Pacquiao, one also prays that the champion make a last minute decision to simply withdraw and give politics a rest, at least for the time being.
Way pabor pabor (no favorites) but let the incumbent lawmaker Rep. Darlene Custodio fight other rivals since Pacquiao is much too good a national symbol for unity and strength to be smeared and tarred by the mud of partisan politics.
And it certainly wouldn’t hurt for Manny Pacquiao to take up the cudgels for boxers like Sisnorios whose death was caused by promoter’s greed and government inability or neglect to go after the culprits responsible.
Charity does begin at home and so Pacquiao should be the patron saint for neglected and abused boxers and athletes rather than a poster boy of greedy politicians. (For questions and comments, please send to [email protected] or [email protected])
