Manila: President Gloria Arroyo has directed boxing icon Manny Pacquiao to engage Muslim separatist rebels in a friendly game of basketball as part of his task as the government’s “Envoy for Peace”.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he is confident that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will oblige in a friendly game of basketball against government troops in a bid to soften the two sides and eventually restart stalled peace negotiations.
The announcement followed a series of bombing incidents in parts of Mindanao that killed at least nine people.
“We are confident this can be done,” Ermita said emphasising that this is similar to the so-called “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” which was adopted by US President Richard Nixon in the 1970s when he sent the US Table Tennis Team to Beijing and engaged Chinese players in friendly games.
The move proved crucial to reopening relations between the two countries.
The announcement came as Arroyo formally appointed Pacquiao as her envoy for peace and understanding in a ceremony at the presidential palace on Wednesday afternoon.
Arroyo had earlier announced Pacquiao’s designation after he knocked out British champion Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 2.
The Filipino boxing champion co-owns a semi-professional basketball team that is based in Mindanao.
