The scribes covering the sports beat are no longer interested in getting to the bottom of the latest Manny Pacquiao controversy.
Seated in a round table during the press conference hosted by GMA-7 last Friday, they were just relieved that the conflict involving the boxing icon, Solar Sports and ABS-CBN was over.
Manny had profusely apologized to Solar and its media partner GMA-7 during an overseas phone call. He admitted he had committed a grievous mistake, like most humans are wont to do.
?Lahat naman nagkakamali. Hindi naman tayo Martian. Hindi na ito mauulit, mas matalino na ako ngayon kesa kahapon (We all make mistakes, we?re not Martians. This won?t happen again, because I?m wiser now),? he said.
Everyone was quick to forgive. Like the biblical prodigal son, Manny was welcomed back to the Solar fold with open arms.
?Let?s put everything behind us. I?m just glad that Manny saw the light and is reaffirming his commitment,? said Solar Sports chair William Tieng.
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In their emergency meeting held in Manny?s Los Angeles apartment last Saturday (Manila time), Manny assured William and Solar COO Peter Chanliong that he?s sticking with Solar ?all the way? from hereon.
While he admitted to being lured and to having fell for a more attractive offer, Manny explained that the video announcing he was moving all his fights to ABS-CBN was aired prematurely.
?Ang usapan, ilalabas ?yun pag napatunayan na may violation sa contract ang (Our agreement was they would show the video if there?s proof that there?s a contract violation by) Solar,? he said. ?Ang nangyari, nilabas na kahit wala pang napapatunayan and without my go-signal. On hold dapat yun (They released it even if there was nothing proven yet and without my go-signal).?
Whether he was telling the truth or not, people will always believe what and who they want to believe. It?s human nature.
The scribes were assured by Manny that his training for the May 2 fight in Las Vegas against Briton Ricky Hatton was not adversely affected by the recent brouhaha.
Meanwhle, GMA Network Inc. chair and CEO Felipe Gozon announced that in addition to Manny?s two current shows, ?Totoy Bato? and ?Pinoy Records,? more projects are forthcoming. Among them is a sitcom, a drama series, boxing clinics nationwide and concerts abroad.
Now where did I hear about plans for a Pacquiao reality show, starting with his training for the Hatton fight? I thought GMA would make that announcement.
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I received an e-mail from lawyer Romulo ?Romy? Makalintal, one of the country?s top election lawyers and also one of the godfathers of Queen Elizabeth Pacquiao. Excerpts of his letter:
Re: Your March 22, 2009 column that ?Manny (Pacquiao) may be thinking of running for a seat in the Senate instead of Congress.?
Under Section 3, Art. VI of the 1987 Constitution, a senator must be at least 35 years of age ?on the day of the election.? While Manny Pacquiao will be a sure winner if he runs for the Senate in 2010, the problem is he would only be 32 years old in 2010, so he?d be three years short of the 35 years old age requirement for a senator.
Incidentally, when we say ?Congress? it refers to two houses of Congress?the House of the Senate and the House of Representatives. So it would be more precise to say that Manny would be running as member of the House of Representatives or would be running for Congressman or Representative, instead of running for a seat in ?Congress.?
By the way, aside from Manny Pacquiao, I am also an avid fan of Muhammad Ali dating back to the days when he was still known as Cassius Clay. Proof?modesty aside, I think I am the only one in the ?whole world? who had two hours with Ali because of an old scrap book I have containing his fights dating back in the 60?s when he was still known as Cassius Clay. I was able to meet him in 1975 before the ?Thrilla in Manila? fight because of the said scrap book wherein he signed seven news clippings with his photos on it. I stayed two solid hours in his hotel suite at the Hilton Hotel (now Waterfront Casino) where he served me juice and biscuits while we watched movies together using his 8mm films (no Betamax, VHS or CDs at that time).
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Who does Makalintal think is the greatest Filipino boxer of all time?
?Flash Elorde and Manny Pacquiao have their respective greatness in Philippine boxing. While Elorde is the greatest Filipino boxer in the 20th century, Pacquiao is the greatest in his time. Both have their own skills and power beyond compare. Both have brought glory and honor to their country,? he said.
