LOS ANGELES — If you have something bad to say, please go away.
The order of the day: Keep quiet.
We all have a role to keep Manny Pacquiao perfectly focused.
You see, there’s barely a month left before Pacquiao’s rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera, who on Tuesday officially declared war, on the second month of training, from his secluded high-altitude camp in Guadalajara.
“I want to beat Pacquiao so badly I can taste it,” Barrera told a Mexican boxing website.
Barrera, swearing he’s out to restore national pride, also singled out Pacquiao as Mexico’s Public Enemy No. 1.
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Nothing very new there, actually.
OK, the house is not burning, and this info could normally wait.
Sorry, but the news is distressing enough it must be immediately relayed.
Two Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) cops were called into Pacquiao’s gated Pallazzo apartment here Sunday afternoon.
There was no visible trouble.
But the presence of the police confirmed that peace, or whatever little remained of it, has been shattered in Pacquiao’s favorite nest, where he settles for the hard part of training.
No need anymore to tell those in charge that the place must be in similarly splendid shape as its owner, who’ll be needing it for the final push in preparation for his Oct. 6 fight in Las Vegas.
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Actually, there had been clear signs of trouble brewing, and this came in the open when Rodel Mayol moved out of the place, where he’s supposed to be repackaged under Pacquiao’s care, over the weekend.
Mayol obviously could not stand the stifling situation and opted for peace and privacy somewhere.
We next received a text message from physical therapist Jeff de Guzman, who often lends a hand to Team Pacquiao.
“Greg has been blacklisted at Pallazzo, which was also declared off limits to the troupe,” Jeff bared.
Greg is Greg Asuncion, a trusted Pacquiao aide who works with the LA Sheriff’s Office.
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What happened at Pallazzo, why were you prevented from entering?
“I was up on my way there when I saw two LA cops in the apartment,” Asuncion told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.
“Who called them in?”
“Winchell Campos.”
“Isn’t he the one causing tension and trouble inside there? Why did Manny allow him to stay?”
“Well, he’s really wise. He had the apartment registered under Manny and himself, because he was the one who looked for the place.”
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Asuncion, also called Sheriff by Filipino associates, bared that two team mainstays, trainer Nonoy Neri and assistant Alex Ureto, had already packed up and were also on their way out.
Boxer Bernie Torres, with whom Campos reportedly had a flaring confrontation, had left ahead.
From what Asuncion narrated, he had to show the cops his key to the apartment and explain that he’s trusted by Pacquiao to either visit or stay there.
“Maybe Winchell Campos wanted all of us driven out, because we have been exposing his misdeeds, he’s really a pest. Please tell that and quote me. He’s no good. He has pending cases here and he’s a discredit to Team Pacquiao.”
“But how do things stand at Pallazzo now?”
“Nonoy Neri and Alex were prevailed upon by Buboy Fernandez, who called from Cebu, to stay put. As for the LA cops, they said I could use the apartment anytime I wished.”
“What about Winchell Campos?”
“They are keeping watch over him. He has pending cases but there’s no formal complaint yet. With one violation, they promised to arrest him.”
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That’s about it for now.
Powerful as Manny Pacquiao is, it’s obvious he could not run his special nest here by remote control.
As for Campos, we had tried not to identify him as the pest hated by other occupants of the Pacquiao apartment in a previous column.
Of course, he had told people he wanted to see me immediately.
This was the reason I waited for him before the long Labor Day break here at Wild Card, where he had also been training.
I will be there again to get his side on Wednesday.
Here’s hoping he shows up to explain why LA cops had had to visit Pacquiao’s special nest here.
