Voters in the Philippines will take to the polls today to decide the future of the country. But receiving even more attention in many international circles, boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is running for congressional office.
Last time out he was defeated by a much more experienced opponent, and it wasn’t even close. This time around he has learned from his rookie run, and things are a lot closer.
His allies even this time around are said to be rather a mixed bag of nuts drawn together by the lure of his sizeable check book. However at the very least Pacquiao having come from poverty and having seen first hand where improvements could be made will have new approaches. Whether these will be effective or whether his lack of experience will cost him will remain to be seen for the time being.
Whether he wins or not, since he announced he was running there has been concern that the election would affect his boxing career adversely. Many suspected that he might retire if he were to be victorious given the fact that he has regularly talked about retirement after each one of his recent fights. Others thought that balancing two careers at once would prove to be a strain on Pacquiao, and that one or the other would suffer as a result.
Far from having had a negative impact though, if anything his political aspirations might well help his boxing career. Pacquiao is known to thrive in a chaotic environment, and his political duties will provide him with just that. His campaigning has also kept him away from some of his other hobbies which might not be good for his fighting career.
Supposing he wins though, having the responsibility of helping the poor and making the changes he envisions will motivate him to keep fighting and to put together the biggest fights he can. The millions he makes every year from fighting will have a purpose, beyond his own generosity which accounts for a sizeable portion of his income already.
Also as any politician is bound to, some of Pacquiao’s boxing fans won’t agree with his political ideals or practices. As the old saying goes you can’t please all the people all of the time, unless you are a sporting hero it seems. Being a little less popular though might take the pressure off of Pacquiao and allow him to travel and pursue his interests a little easier.
James Aglibut, Pittsburgh: “Manny still doesn’t know enough about politics to do a good job I don’t think. People are saying this is a stepping stone to the presidency, but I hope that never happens. He might have good intentions, but he doesn’t have the right education or experience to make this a success”
Greg Nelson, Pittsburgh: “Who cares about all this stuff anyway, I bet not even most Filipino’s care unless its related to his boxing”
