MANILA, Philippines?Sarangani residents should not be seeing the peso sign on his forehead.
This was the parting advice from a teacher to the newly elected Rep. Manny Pacquiao who completed a 10-day course at the Development Academy of the Philippines in Pasig on Friday.
?You mean dollar signs,? was the joking riposte from one of Pacquiao?s aides.
Pacquiao must not make his constituents dependent on doleouts, opting instead for programs that would enable them to help themselves, was the advice given by Gloria Jumamil Mercado, the dean of the DAP?s Graduate School of Public and Development Management in Pasig City.
The boxing icon became the latest celebrity graduate of the DAP, joining actors-turned-politicians Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., who took a course on legislative agenda in 2003, and Cristina Romualdez, a councilor of Tacloban City, in 2007.
Looking very formal in his barong Tagalog, Pacquiao, with his wife Jinkee and members of his legislative staff, went onstage to receive his certificate on Development Legislation and Governance, a course that was especially designed for the needs of Pacquiao and his team.
?It was not the usual classroom experience,? Pacquiao said of the 13-session course.
?It was more like a tour of how a congressman must deal with his constituents, colleagues, the local government units and national line agencies,” he said.
“Now, I’m prepared,? Pacquiao declared.
On the last day of the course, he and his staff had a final two-hour session with Mercado.
The boxing champion listened intently, his hands clasped under his chin, sometimes mouthing the words of the teacher. He would also ask questions from time to time.
?I am proud of Congressman Manny. He stayed focused and sharp throughout the whole course and interacted frequently with the resource persons and his team,? Mercado said in a statement released by DAP.
Mercado said the course was customized for Pacquiao’s team, “responsive to the needs of the participants and applicable to the present situation of Sarangani province?.
Among the topics covered were: ?The Legislator in a Development and Governance Framework,? ?Salient Provisions of the 1987 Constitution and the Local Government Code of 1991,? and ?The National Budget Process and Local Development.?
Among those who conducted the courses were former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno, Ateneo de Manila Law School associate dean Sedfrey Candelaria and Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza.
Before the last session, Mercado showed a video clip of interviews that the DAP had conducted with Sarangani residents, in which they spoke of what they wanted from Pacquiao.
?These are interviews of Sarangani voters? Did they vote for me?? Pacquiao asked.
?Some of them didn’t. It was random,? Mercado replied.
She said one issue that was important to Sarangani residents was the need for a hospital in the area.
?But of course it’s not realistic that you can deliver a hospital in the first 100 days,? she told him.
To which Pacquiao said: ?The first year.?
Veteran sports columnist Ronnie Nathanielsz also came to support Pacquiao.
“I hope you’re learning something,? Nathanielsz told the boxer as the latter greeted him in a loud voice.
This got a good laugh from Pacquiao and his team.
